Fernando Mendoza's highly anticipated NFL debut gave Raiders fans plenty to be excited about, even though Las Vegas ultimately fell 27-14 to the Arizona Cardinals. The No. 1 overall pick completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown across four drives, showing flashes of why the Raiders believe he can eventually become the face of the franchise.
Mendoza entered after veteran Kirk Cousins led Las Vegas on an impressive opening touchdown drive. The rookie immediately showed poise, engineering a 79-yard touchdown drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown pass to Jack Bech.
It wasn't a perfect debut. Mendoza had moments where he looked like a rookie adjusting to NFL speed, but he also displayed the accuracy and composure that made him the first overall pick after winning the Heisman Trophy and national championship at Indiana.
The preseason opener was only the beginning, but Mendoza gave Raiders fans their first real glimpse of what the future could look like in Las Vegas. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for Mendoza to get in during the regular season with the Raiders not expected to be competing this year. They currently sit at +15000 on Fanduel to win the Super Bowl.
