By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The time has come.
It’s Fernando Mendoza’s time on Sunday to start his first NFL game after the Raiders won four games and lost five under just-traded quarterback Kirk Cousins.
With the Raiders defense yielding at least 30 or more points in six straight games, it’s apparent this is not a playoff team. Raiders General Manager John Spytek shipped comeback player-of-the-year candidate Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2027 third round draft pick and declared Mendoza, the NFL’s overall number one draft pick, is the Raiders new QB starter.
Mendoza has one feature lacking in Cousins — the ability to run. Cousins rarely ran with the ball. Mendoza has the legs to get out of the pocket and run for first downs.
Mendoza’s maiden start will be against the defending world champion Seattle Seahawks, owner of the NFL’s statistically top defense, giving up 244 yards a game, including only 151 yards through the air a game. The Seahawks give up an average of 18 points a game — fourth best in the 32-team league. As a contrast, the Raiders give up an average of 29.8 points a game.
So, Mendoza, 23, will face a big challenge in his first start after being mentored by the 38-year-old Cousins.
Mendoza stands out for his profoundly earnest personality that is on display during his press conferences.
“I’m going to miss him, and I really appreciate and am deeply thankful for everything that the Cousins family has offered to me,” Mendoza told the media this week.
He also noted he will pay the tab at In-N-Out outings like Cousins did.
The Raiders need help.
Since the Raiders last played in a Super Bowl in Jan. 2003, the team has won 135 games and lost 247 games during the regular season — the second worst record in the NFL behind the Cleveland Browns during that time period. Only the Browns have lost more games than the Raiders since the Jan. 2003 Super Bowl with a record of 130-251-1.
Is Mendoza the answer to the Raiders’ chronic losing ways? It’s not solely on his shoulders.
The team certainly needs a better defense.
With Mendoza Mania engulfing Las Vegas, ticket prices on the secondary market have increased for the 1 PM Raiders/Seahawks tilth. Take a look at ticket reseller StubHub, where the cheapest ticket was $344 as of Friday afternoon for Sunday’s game at Allegiant Stadium. The game will give Raiders’ first-year coach, Klint Kubiak, a chance to face his former team when he was the offensive coordinator for Seattle in 2025 during the Seahawk’s Super Bowl-winning season.
Move over a traffic lane to pass bicyclists — it’s State Law in Nevada.
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