Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2026 NFL Draft, hit some serious turbulence in his second preseason outing. Playing the entire first half for the Las Vegas Raiders against the Houston Texans on Thursday, Mendoza showed a few more rookie growing pains than anyone wanted to see after his solid debut. This wasn’t the clean, efficient performance we got last week, and it truly highlighted the steep learning curve this league throws at young QBs.
The Brutal Welcome to the NFL
Talk about a tough welcome. Mendoza completed 8-of-15 passes for 86 yards and threw an interception, which isn’t exactly lighting up the stat sheet. The Texans’ defense is no joke, mind you. Coach DeMeco Ryans has built one of the stingiest defensive schemes in recent NFL history, a unit that ranked No. 1 in yards allowed per game in 2025. That top-tier defense absolutely confused Mendoza early in the first half. After starting his first drive with a genuinely needle-threading throw to Jalen Nailor that converted a second-and-15, Mendoza then threw a mindless interception. He seemingly didn’t spot Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz lurking in the middle of the field and threw it right to him, giving Woodaz all the momentum to take it 80 yards the other way for a pick-six. That brutal mistake put Las Vegas in an immediate 14-0 hole. Ouch.
Glimpses of Grit Through the Struggle
You gotta hand it to the kid, though. After that crushing pick-six, veteran defensive end Maxx Crosby gave Mendoza a pep talk on the sidelines. And you know what? Mendoza bounced back. He found running back Dylan Laube out of the backfield for a first down. Later, he took a hit like a champ as he delivered a completion to Connor Heyward. He kept fighting, even connecting with tight end Ian Thomas to set up a 52-yard field goal from Matt Gay. Mendoza started the next drive with a bootleg to Thomas and hit Mike Washington Jr. on a screen pass. He nearly led Las Vegas to another score, but a pass targeted for Malik Benson on an out route hit the receiver’s hands and just dropped to the ground. That’s a tough break, but it shows he was still pushing for points. Las Vegas trailed 20-3 at halftime when Mendoza’s day was done. While he wasn’t nearly as efficient as his debut (10-of-16 for 97 yards and one touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals), he absolutely showed the chops to read one of the NFL’s best defenses and, crucially, rebound from an early mistake.
So, what does this mean for Mendoza’s future? With Kirk Cousins sitting along with the majority of Las Vegas’ starters, and head coach Klint Kubiak’s declaration, it’s clear Mendoza is locked in for the backup role for the near future. He still has a ways to go to be ready to start in the NFL, that’s for sure. But these moments, these tough lessons from Thursday’s preseason game, are exactly what will help him on that journey. We’ll be watching to see how he builds on these learning moments as the season continues!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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