News Article
Published
Oct 12, 2026 at 08:03 PM EDT
Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza made his NFL debut in Week 5 during the team's 45-17 blowout loss against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The No. 1 overall pick finished 6-for-8 with 48 passing yards on his lone drive late in the fourth quarter, which ended in a turnover on downs.
With veteran starting signal-caller Kirk Cousins and the Raiders suffering their second straight defeat in Week 5, could Las Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak be thinking of making Mendoza the starter for Week 6 versus the Buffalo Bills?
The first-year coach discussed the possibility on Monday.
The Raiders were one of the NFL's biggest surprises in September, going 3-0 and outscoring their opponents 88-54. Their first three games were against the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints though, who are currently a combined 1-14.
Las Vegas is now in the middle of a brutal stretch of difficult opponents, including falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4 and the Patriots in Week 5. Things aren't expected to get easier over the next six contests, with home matchups on tap against the Bills (Week 6), Los Angeles Rams (Week 7) and Seattle Seahawks (Week 10), as well as road games versus the San Francisco 49ers (Week 9) and Denver Broncos (Week 11).
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The Raiders have their bye in Week 13 and depending on how Cousins performs in the coming weeks, Kubiak could call on the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in the near future.
The 38-year-old Cousins has posted a 65.1 completion percentage with 1,269 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions across five games this year, good for a 100.7 passer rating.