Raiders rookie Fernando Mendoza thanks God for an NFL debut that compares favorably to 'Mr Brady'

The first thing Fernando Mendoza did after he played exceptionally in his NFL preseason debut Thursday night was to thank God.

Any long-suffering Las Vegas Raiders fan who saw the rookie first-round pick's outing, preseason or not, would have similarly thanked God.

Because the Raiders have something here.

"First, I want to thank God and my teammates and coaches for allowing me the opportunity," Mendoza told reporters.

"Today was an invigorating experience where there's not many moments where you feel fully alive, and on the field is when you feel fully alive, especially in the NFL atmosphere.

EX-NFL STAR CALLS FERNANDO MENDOZA 'THE MOST COMPLETE PLAYER' OF THE 2026 DRAFT "So I want to give thanks for that.

It was great to get out there, get my feet wet ..

I think it was a good experience." Anyone who watched would know Mendoza played well and if you didn't watch, be confident that his 100.3 quarterback rating and TD pass without a turnover in his nearly three quarters of work was impressive.

"As far as getting in and out of the huddle and commanding the group and getting the play-calls down, I saw the same guy we've seen in practice," coach Klint Kubiak said.

"I saw an ascending player." And this is where the temptation is going to be to overreact and start the discussion about Mendoza supplanting veteran Kirk Cousins as the Las Vegas starting quarterback.

That throw Mendoza made in the first half between two defenders downfield between the hashmarks and numbers was elite.

It's the kind of throw that demands opportunities in the regular season.

But the Raiders will resist the temptation to have Mendoza run before he walks.

The Raiders expect to go with Cousins as their starter unless something drastic happens.