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Raiders' Fernando Mendoza gets bad news as Kirk Cousins gears up for the start originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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No matter how well Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza had played in the offseason, it was pretty much a given that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins would get the start with the Raiders.
Cousins brings years of experience as a quarterback, and Mendoza is just getting his feet wet in Las Vegas and the NFL. To sign a veteran like Cousins and then have Mendoza start the season for the Raiders would make literally no sense.
But, Raiders fans were still hoping to see something spectacular from Mendoza in the preseason. This was his first chance to take the field as an NFL player and show the world that he can make that difficult leap from college to pro football. Expectations are super high for this guy.
Unfortunately, CBS Sports has named Mendoza one of the biggest losers of the preseason. It's bad news for the young player, but Mendoza is just getting started, so he's really far from a "loser" and just learning the ropes.
Fernando Mendoza lands on the naughty list after preseason game
On Thursday night against the Houston Texans , Mendoza threw an 80-yard pick-six and took an 11-yard sack. Those were some tough moments in front of a big crowd. It happens. He rounded out the game with just 86 yards.
One highlight, however, was his "22-yard dart to Raiders wide receiver Jalen Nailor in the middle of the field and just in between the Texans' zone defense," Garrett Podell and Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports note.
"He wasn't asked to make a ton of those high-difficulty throws over the middle in college," they add, "but they are a staple of head coach Klint Kubiak's Shanahan-tree offense. Overall, Mendoza had a tough night at the office despite the occasional flash here and there."
It's just one night, but it was still enough to land Mendoza on the naughty list. The Raiders won, 22-20, so that's a good thing.
More NFL news:
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Steelers' four-quarterback plan could end up creating a roster problem
Raiders' focus on Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins is hiding a bigger problem
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