Jordan Love Nears 5,000 Passing Yards and Mendoza May Start for Raiders

Jordan Love is on pace to throw for 4,945 yards this season, ESPN reported, placing the Green Bay Packers quarterback within striking distance of becoming just the 10th player in NFL history to reach the 5,000-yard passing mark in a single year.

Love continued his MVP-caliber campaign on Sunday by throwing for 372 yards in a high-scoring road victory over the New England Patriots. With eight games remaining in the regular season, he currently leads the league with 2,618 passing yards.

Only nine quarterbacks have accomplished the 5,000-yard passing feat across 15 total instances in league history. Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, and Jameis Winston are the only active signal-callers on that exclusive list.

The aerial heavy-lifting has become necessary due to ground-game struggles in Green Bay. The Packers currently rank last in the NFL, averaging a paltry 68.2 rushing yards per game and just 3.0 yards per carry, trailing far behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 163.9 rushing yards per contest.

Jordan Love Nears 5,000 Passing Yards and Mendoza May Start for Raiders

That stark offensive reality represents a sharp pivot from previous years. During the 2024 season, the Packers finished fifth in the league in rushing, and followed that up with a 15th-ranked ground game in 2025.

In Love’s first year as a starter back in 2023, he threw for 4,159 yards with 11 interceptions as Green Bay finished 9-8.

The Packers went 9-5-1 in Love’s 15 starts last season, a stretch where he tallied 3,381 passing yards and six interceptions. With offensive line and running back limitations severely hampering the run game now, however, the team has been forced back into a pass-heavy identity.

Kirk Cousins-Vikings, Mendoza Raiders Debut, Jordan Love-Packers — The Colin Cowherd Podcast

The heavy reliance on the air attack is supported by a pair of top-10 wide receivers in Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. Despite sitting at a 6-3 record and currently holding last place in a fiercely competitive NFC North, Green Bay’s clearest path to January rests on Love’s right arm.

In Las Vegas, the decision to move Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings has thrust top draft pick Fernando Mendoza into the starting role potentially ahead of schedule. ESPN reported that fantasy managers should aggressively add Mendoza, though caution is warranted regarding an immediate start against a Seattle Seahawks defense that stymied Kansas City Chiefs QB Mahomes in Week 7.

Green bay packers jordan love warms up before an nfl football game against the las vegas raiders monday oct in las vegas phot

Mendoza inherits an offense that ranks eighth in scoring this season. The rookie is expected to lean heavily on tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty in the passing game to replicate the rhythm Cousins established.

Following the Seattle matchup, the schedule softens considerably. The Raiders face the Denver Broncos, who surrender 355 yards per game—fourth in the NFL—and rank 19th in permitting quarterback fantasy points. Additional upcoming matchups against the Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans offer favorable conditions for deep-league fantasy managers seeking production.

Meanwhile, Jeanty’s production has shifted heavily toward the passing game due to ongoing run-blocking deficiencies in Las Vegas. Ranking 14th in running back scoring, Jeanty leads his position in receptions and currently boasts more receiving yards than rushing yards, averaging an elite 8.8 yards per catch.