The Raiders finally gave fans their first look at Fernando Mendoza in Week 5, but that cameo did not change the pecking order in Las Vegas. Kirk Cousins is still the starter, and Mendoza remains the backup as the team heads into Week 6.
That setup is expected to hold for a while longer, too. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon is projecting the Raiders will wait until Week 12 to make the switch, with Mendoza taking over at quarterback against the Browns.
“The Bench Date: Week 12 at the Browns, giving Cousins plenty of rope while allowing Mendoza sufficient time to marinate,” Gagnon writes. “The Raiders, who have a dreadful schedule between now and the end of November, will likely have fallen out of the playoff picture by the time they play Cleveland in that spot.”
Las Vegas enters Week 6 at 3-2 and gets the 4-1 Buffalo Bills next. After that comes a rough stretch that runs through the rest of October and into November: the Los Angeles Rams at home, then road games against the New York Jets and the San Francisco 49ers in Weeks 7 through 9.
The schedule only gets nastier from there. Weeks 10 and 11 bring back-to-back matchups with the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, which would be a brutal runway for a rookie’s first start. Week 12 against Cleveland looks far more manageable, and it also comes with a bye the following week, giving Mendoza extra time to settle in after his first game.
So the question isn’t whether Mendoza will get his shot this season. It’s when.
Gagnon’s read is that it happens before the bye, but not until Week 12. For now, the Raiders are sticking with Cousins, and the rookie will keep waiting.
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Raiders Face A Brutal Test As Doubts Keep Mounting
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Offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko said the answer starts with cleaning up the details and making targeted adjustments in both technique and scheme to spark more production. The Raiders need those fixes in a hurry, especially with the ground game still feeling the impact of Ashton Jeanty not being fully healthy, leaving this offense searching for a better rhythm before the challenge gets any bigger. [Read more 🡒]