Fernando Mendoza’s ‘failure’ could provide valuable experience for Raiders

Fernando Mendoza made his NFL debut late in the Las Vegas Raiders’ 45-17 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Though the game was already out of reach, Mendoza used the opportunity to gain live reps, completing 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards on nine dropbacks. He remained poised and composed, earning praise from teammates and coaches for his performance in mop-up duty.

Mendoza connected with Dylan Laube on his first career pass attempt for a 2-yard gain, with Laube calling him his 'security blanket.' He later completed a 9-yard pass to Ian Thomas to move the chains. Raiders offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said he inserted Mendoza to get him exposure, noting the rookie 'did a good job and all the reps are valuable.'

Despite the positive feedback, Mendoza was critical of his own performance, particularly a fourth-down scramble that ended a yard short of the marker at the 11-yard line. He said, 'We didn’t come away with points, so it was overall a quote-unquote failure,' and admitted he should have stayed in the pocket to find Deven Thompkins open over the middle. 'That is totally my fault and I let the offense down on that play,' he added.

Mendoza, a Boston native who grew up idolizing Tom Brady — now a Raiders minority owner — said he appreciated the effort of his teammates late in the game. He emphasized that the experience, even in a loss, will help him prepare for future opportunities: 'It is good experience to have some regular-season snaps to evaluate and get better from so in the future, if I am called upon, I have at least a little experience rather than none.'

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal