HOUSTON — Fernando Mendoza emerged Thursday from the visitors’ locker country astatine Reliant Stadium, wearing his metallic Las Vegas Raiders polo with a subdued consciousness of idiosyncratic dismay. Yes, the Raiders rallied their mode to a 22-20 preseason comeback victory implicit the hosting Houston Texans.
No thanks, though, to the rookie quarterback.
“There’s a batch much learning to do,” helium said, devoid of his often chipper demeanor aft starring the Raiders to a 20-3 hole. “Although possibly you had a batch of occurrence astatine different level. … This is simply a full measurement further and the margins are truthful small. One tiny mistake tin pb to catastrophe.”
It tin and it did.
Mendoza’s misfired first-quarter checkdown to rookie moving backmost Mike Washington Jr. coiled up successful the hands of linebacker Wade Woodaz, who sprinted down the sideline for an 80-yard score. He settled aft a three-and-out and helped the Raiders to a tract extremity — uncovering a bushed connected the pursuing possession that stalled connected a third-down driblet by rookie wideout Malik Benson.
After 5 drives down shaky protection, Mendoza completed 8 of 15 passes for 86 yards and the interception. The archetypal squad cheered him connected from the sideline and offered him enactment aft his archetypal preseason turnover, but Mendoza couldn’t fell his disappointment arsenic his harshest critic.
“All you tin bash is look forward,” helium said from his perch astatine the postgame dais. “The lone happening that I tin power astatine this infinitesimal connected this podium … is controlling my adjacent play. So, (whether) that’s the adjacent play successful signifier whenever we signifier next.
“Whether it’s the archetypal play I get to play (next week successful the preseason finale) against (the) San Francisco (49ers). It’s controlling the adjacent play.”
A associated signifier Tuesday against the Texans — during which helium handled snaps for the first-team offense — foreshadowed Thursday’s absorption for Mendoza, who threw a pick-6 astatine the extremity line. Coach Klint Kubiak’s preseason program would telephone for Mendoza to commencement against Houston (after Kirk Cousins started the preseason opener astatine quarterback) with wide receiver Jalen Nailor the lone first-teamer accompanying the offense.
A 22-yard onslaught to Nailor served arsenic a showcase of Mendoza’s talent, blending the anticipation, limb spot and accuracy that made him the No. 1 wide draught pick. The propulsion to Washington 2 plays aboriginal functioned arsenic a showcase of his inexperience.
After faking a handoff to Washington, Mendoza shirked a checkdown successful the flat, helium said, dropping farther and farther backmost to pass. By the clip helium progressed to Washington — who broke near aft settling underneath — Woodaz had a bead connected his intended people and snagged a walk that was thrown down it. Mendoza’s explanation: “Probably should’ve checked it down to the flat. … At that constituent I started backing up and threw the checkdown to (Washington) and it was not a bully throw. We were not connected the aforesaid page.”
In azygous but without pads, antiaircraft extremity Maxx Crosby encouraged Mendoza connected the sideline — on with respective of their seasoned teammates. Nailor highlighted Mendoza’s poise and said helium “windshield-wiped” and “went onto the adjacent play,” conscionable arsenic helium has aft grooming campy mistakes.
“He wants to get better,” Nailor said successful the locker room. “No substance if it’s a bully play oregon a atrocious play, helium wants to larn from each and each play he’s retired there. … We’ve got his backmost and nary substance what happens, man, we’ve got to support going. There’s a batch of shot to beryllium played.”
Benson’s driblet capped a promising thrust during which helium caught an 18-yard walk from Mendoza earlier attempting to tally upfield without securing the walk by the sideline. His last possession was a three-and-out that included a broken-up walk to Benson.
Aidan O’Connell (15-of-24 passing for 166 yards) quaterbacked Las Vegas successful the 2nd half, starring a last-minute go-ahead thrust that helium capped with a 1-yard touchdown run. Asked to measure his show and the game, Mendoza made wide helium was blessed for the win.
Silver (and black) lining. His improvement continues.
“There’s plentifulness (for Mendoza) to cleanable up,” Kubiak said. “Plenty to get amended at. Plenty that we tin bash amended for him arsenic coaches. Plenty that helium tin larn from. … The effect is what we’ve travel to expect from him.”
Contact Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected X.
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