Rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza directly addressed the significant challenge of NFL speed following the Las Vegas Raiders' 18-12 preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. Mendoza acknowledged the substantial jump from college football to the professional level, noting the increased speed and complexity of the NFL game.
During the game, Mendoza completed 7 of 14 passes for 57 yards, was intercepted once, and sacked twice. This performance followed a previous outing where he threw a pick-six against Houston. His preseason statistics have shown a downward trend, with his completion percentage decreasing from 62.5% in his debut to 50% in the most recent game, and his yards per attempt falling from 6.06 to 4.07.
The impact of pressure has been a key factor in Mendoza's struggles. When protected by a clean pocket, his completion rate was nearly 69% with an average of 6.84 yards per attempt. However, under pressure, his completion rate dropped to 23% with an average of 1.62 yards per attempt, and he took four sacks, resulting in a negative EPA per pressured play. Despite a consistent time to throw of approximately 2.8 seconds, opposing rushers are reaching him faster, and defensive backs are closing passing windows more quickly.
"There are monsters on the other side of the ball, and you need to get the ball out quick," Mendoza stated. "It teaches you that you need to play on time, and there’s less margin for error."
In contrast, veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins demonstrated how experience can manage these compressed margins. Cousins, 38, completed 8 of 11 passes for 51 yards against the 49ers, leading the Raiders into scoring position on both of his drives. Over two preseason appearances, Cousins finished 13-for-17 with one touchdown, no interceptions, and positive EPA in each game. He was not sacked during his limited playing time.
Head coach Klint Kubiak commented that Mendoza "needs another three preseason games," but with the Raiders set to open their regular season against Miami on September 13, the team must prioritize winning while allowing the rookie time to develop. The signing of Cousins before drafting Mendoza was intended to provide this experienced presence for the start of the season. While Cousins may not represent the future, his understanding of NFL speed makes him the likely choice for the Week 1 starter.