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Fernando Mendoza was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the expectation is he will begin his career as the backup to veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.
As a result, the Las Vegas Raiders’ preseason Week 3 game against the San Francisco 49ers represented a key opportunity for Mendoza to get playing time before the start of the 2026 NFL season.
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Raiders coach Klint Kubiak opted to play Cousins the first two drives of the Thursday, Aug. 27, preseason clash. But after that, Mendoza played until the start of the fourth quarter, when Aidan O’Connell entered.
After a strong preseason debut and a less impressive second effort, Mendoza’s outing in the Raiders’ preseason finale showed off even more of his limitations at this early stage of his career. If nothing else, it showcased why Las Vegas was wise to bring in a veteran in Cousins to help bridge the gap.
How did Mendoza perform in his all-important final preseason game? Here’s a full breakdown of his outing, as well as a grade for it.
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NFL players on the move during 2026 offseason
(Troy Taormina, Imagn Images)
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NFL players on the move during 2026 offseason
(Troy Taormina, Imagn Images)
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NFL players on the move during 2026 offseason
(Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images)
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NFL players on the move during 2026 offseason
(Matt Marton, Imagn Images)
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NFL players on the move during 2026 offseason
(David Banks, Imagn Images)
Fernando Mendoza grade for Raiders vs. 49ers preseason game
Mendoza didn’t have much to write home about in his final preseason outing.
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Throughout two quarters – and a bit of a third – the rookie quarterback leaned heavily on checkdown passes, overthrew his targets multiple times, was late on some throws, took a couple of sacks and threw an interception. In other words, Mendoza looked the part of a rookie quarterback still adjusting to NFL game speed.
At times, the Raiders’ lack of good depth on their offensive line made it hard to evaluate Mendoza. Was he taking sacks and facing pressure because he couldn’t get the ball out fast, or because the line was letting guys go unblocked? Sometimes the answer was the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/fernando-mendoza-shaky-preseason-finale-023312014.html
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Publish date : 2026-08-28 02:33:00
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