The Fernando Mendoza era has arrived.
Las Vegas traded starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to Minnesota this week, clearing the way for Mendoza — the Heisman Trophy winner and 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick who led Indiana to an NCAA title — to take over Sunday when the Raiders play host to the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
“Everything we’ve asked (Mendoza) to do in practice, I think he’s exceeded those expectations,” said first-year Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak, who was the offensive coordinator in Seattle last season. “We all know that live bullets Sunday is far different from practice. However, he’s showed us that he’s ready, not only physically but mentally.”
Kubiak praised Cousins, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason knowing he was a placeholder for Mendoza.
Cousins threw 20 touchdown passes, second in the NFL to the 23 of Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow. The 15-year veteran had the Raiders ranked eighth in scoring with 26.4 points per game despite a rushing attack that is averaging just 71.3 yards, the second-worst mark in the league.
“I think with the right role model, that would accelerate (Mendoza’s) growth,” Kubiak said, “and we had the right role model.”
Mendoza also thanked Cousins, whom he said welcomed him with “open arms.”
“I’m a lot more confident as a quarterback and feel more developed, whether it’s (playing) under center, connecting with teammates, understanding an NFL scheme,” Mendoza said. “There are so many areas that I have improved on, and I look forward to keep on improving.”
Mendoza and the Raiders (4-5) have lost five of their past six games, including a 38-17 defeat last week at San Francisco. Las Vegas will face a tough test Sunday against a Seahawks defense that has given up the fewest total yards per game (244.2) and is tied for fourth in scoring defense (18.0).
“Everyone has faith in him,” Raiders tight end Brock Bowers said of the team’s new starting signal-caller. “(Mendoza) might have a bad play here and there, but you just got to flush it. I know he does a good job at that.”
The Seahawks (5-4) are coming off a 17-3 victory against visiting Arizona in which they held the Cardinals to 198 yards of total offense.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Las Vegas’ switch to Mendoza might provide a bit of a different challenge for his defense.
“They’re going to tweak some things, as you do every week,” Macdonald said. “You try to anticipate some of those things as best you can as the opponent, but you never just want to put all your cards on one thing.”
Macdonald said facing Kubiak will make this almost like an NFC West matchup.
“It feels like the first divisional game of the season,” he said. “We know each other, but we also know that we are different. It’s not the same, but there’s also a familiarity, but you also don’t have the foundational understanding of what they already decided to do so that you have the opportunity to react.”
The Seahawks are set to start backup quarterback Drew Lock for the second straight week with Sam Darnold sidelined with a quadriceps injury and a cracked rib. Lock was 19 of 28 for 175 yards and a touchdown against Arizona, but oblique and right elbow injuries of his own limited him in practice at the start of the week.
Seahawks offensive linemen Charles Cross (ankle) and Quenton Nelson (knee) and defensive linemen Leonard Williams (stinger) and Brandon Pili (back) missed practice on Wednesday. Nelson won’t play on Sunday, and with Seattle having a bye next week, it wouldn’t be a surprise for others to sit out against the Raiders.
Las Vegas didn’t have anyone sit out practice on Wednesday.