NFL: Fernando Mendoza Set for 'Baptism of Fire' as No 1 Pick Makes First Start for Las Vegas

Fernando Mendoza will make his first regular-season start at quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, stepping into the lineup after Kirk Cousins returned to the Minnesota Vikings in a trade on deadline day.

The No 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft takes over an offense ranked 15th in total yards, fifth in passing, and eighth in scoring following the departure of Cousins, who threw for 2,340 yards and 20 touchdowns with eight interceptions during the campaign. The Heisman Trophy winner spent the summer and the first half of the season learning behind his veteran mentor before getting the nod from head coach Klint Kubiak.

“This Seattle Seahawks defense, despite having a couple of losses, is still phenomenal,” said Sky Sports NFL’s Phoebe Schecter on Inside the Huddle. “They really have a similar kind of DNA to the Vikings, especially for a rookie. You know exactly what you’re going to do against this young man.”

Schecter pointed to Nick Emmanwori and a disruptive front as major tests for the first-year player. “You look at Nick Emmanwori and how as a quarterback you stand back there and have to figure out who’s coming, who’s not, where, what, who is playing what position,” she said.

“And then that defensive line, telling him to keep his eyes up the whole time. This is going to be a lot of hand-holding, I would suggest, for this first game, and definitely a baptism by fire,” Schecter said.

Kubiak takes charge of the offensive transition after serving as offensive coordinator of the unit that won the Super Bowl in February. His prior success helping inspire the best of Sam Darnold now brings attention to how he handles a young quarterback.

“Our expectation is for him to lead the offense, to lead the operation, and to go play a game here Sunday and be the leader of the team,” said Kubiak.

“We have to prepare him and give him a lot of reps to get him comfortable,” Kubiak added.

Kirk Cousins traded to Vikings, Fernando Mendoza to start for Raiders & big battles in the north

Mendoza saw limited action in October during a 45-17 loss to the Patriots, completing six of eight passes for 48 yards in the fourth quarter. The transition follows a college run that saw him throw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns with a 72 percent completion rate while leading the Indiana Hoosiers to an unbeaten national title season.

“This is something that he’s worked very hard for since the moment he walked into this building,” said Raiders general manager John Spytek. “He passed every test. He put us in a position where we had to make a very hard decision today with his growth as a person, as a teammate, as a leader, as a quarterback.”

Opponents face unique preparation challenges given the lack of professional tape on the rookie.

Indiana quarterback fernando mendoza runs off the field following an ncaa college football game against wisconsin saturday no

“It’s a bit challenging because you have no tape on him,” said Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. “You don’t have too many tendencies or some of his weaknesses.”

“As far as what I’ve seen on tape, the guy, number one draft pick, he can make all the throws. As a unit, as a defense, especially as a defensive line, we can get after this guy, especially in the passing game. We have to rush as one, be on one accord and our communication has to be at a high level. We can get after him,” Murphy said.

Tight end Brock Bowers enters Sunday’s matchup as Mendoza’s primary weapon, leading the team with 658 receiving yards and six touchdowns while averaging 94.0 yards per game. The Raiders hold a 4-5 record heading into the contest, while the 5-4 Seahawks will start Drew Lock in his second successive start in place of the injured Darnold.