The Las Vegas Raiders opened up their preseason with a 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 13 at Allegiant Stadium. Despite the loss, there was a lot of excitement, as Fernando Mendoza took the field for the first time in Silver and Black.
During his time out on the field, Mendoza went 10 of 16 for 97 passing yards and one touchdown. The lone touchdown pass saw Mendoza connect with wideout Jack Bech. Moreover, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft was also sacked once.
After the loss, Mendoza spoke with reporters, and the first question was about his emotions on the field as a Raider.
“Today was an invigorating experience,” Mendoza told the media. “There aren’t many moments where you feel fully alive, and on the field, especially in the NFL atmosphere, you feel fully alive. I want to give thanks for that. It was great to get out there and get my feet wet.
“At first, especially on the first drive, it felt a little sped up because of so much anticipation and excitement. However, I feel like my team and my teammates around me protected me very well and helped me. They helped slow me down, and I think it was a good experience.”
Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza Wasn’t Overwhelmed
Moreover, taking the field for the Raiders and now officially playing as a professional didn’t catch Mendoza off guard. While there are still learning experiences for the rookie QB, this preseason game against Arizona didn’t give Mendoza any overwhelming feelings.
“I would say they are what I thought they would be,” Mendoza added. “Especially as a quarterback, you don’t want to get too emotional because you want to be able to process, make the right checks, make the right reads.
“I felt that it was good emotion getting in the huddle with my guys, in a sense, being able to break through and finally play a snap in the preseason, which is going to be faster than practice, just how it is with adrenaline.
“Then the regular season gets faster than that, and on and on. So, I think it was a good experience getting my feet wet. Overall, it was a good experience getting my feet wet.”
Kirk Cousins on Preseason Advice to Fernando Mendoza
While Mendoza is getting his feet wet at the pro level, don’t expect veteran Kirk Cousins to come to talk to Mendoza after every series. The Raiders quarterback is a resource for the rookie, but sometimes not saying anything is helpful too.
“I just let him be,” Cousins said postgame (h/t Vegas Sports Today). “I don’t give him advice. I don’t pull him aside and say, ‘Come hear from my wisdom.’ I think he’s a pretty smart, mature player and person. If anything, I don’t want to get in his way. I think he knows what he’s doing and has a good feel, and I don’t want to overload him.
“If I’m observing and feel like I can offer a quick nugget here or there, I will. He’s a great question asker, so a lot of times he’ll just ask. But there’s also times where I say, ‘Hey, nothing needs to be said. Go do your thing. You got it.’ There’s a lot of good football ahead for him.”
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