Even with sitting Kirk Cousins and giving a game to rookie Fernando Mendoza in Thursday night’s preseason victory against the Houston Texans by 22-20, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak still cannot announce a starting quarterback for the upcoming regular season.
“We got another week. I don’t want anyone to be comfortable in their job,” Kubiak said. “It should always be that way for all positions. So, let’s keep going.”
He has participated in one drive in two preseason matches, per ESPN.
He was among several starters who sat out the practice at Reliant Stadium on Tuesday night along with defensive end Maxx Crosby, running back Ashton Jeanty, tight end Brock Bowers and left tackle Kolton Miller.
Preseason Reps
According to Kubiak, they considered the Tuesday joint practice to be like a game for some players and hence the need to give them some rest.
While the starters sat out from the game, Mendoza played the first half. He threw eight passes out of 15 for 86 yards along with an interception on five drives. The longest pass thrown by him was for 22 yards to wide receiver Jalen Nailor.
Resting the Starters
Wide receiver Jack Bech and Jalen Nailor are the only projected starters to participate in this match.
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell played the last two halves of the game and made 166 passing yards along with making the go-ahead rushing touchdown in the last few seconds of the fourth quarter.
“Coach Kubiak outlined for the team what the plan was going to be with the starters, essentially for weeks one, two and three of the preseason, [and] to keep it internally,” Mendoza said. “That was something I knew going into the game was gonna be a great experience as a first start in the NFL preseason, which is always the next step.”
Mendoza is going to leave Houston after his experience here with the realization that there are plenty of things to learn. He said there is a very little room for errors in the NFL since one mistake can bring about a disaster. That was evident in the first drive against the Texans.
