Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Tuesdays are NFL players’ lone in-season disconnected days, with teams prohibited from requiring them to study to the installation if games autumn connected the mean Sunday schedule.
Kirk Cousins is coincidentally among the galore stars who famously instrumentality vantage of the rule, erstwhile sharing his process of distancing himself from shot connected Tuesdays erstwhile helium was followed for Netflix’s Quarterback documentary successful 2022. But Cousins stopped by the Raiders’ Henderson office for the last clip this past Tuesday, arsenic wide manager John Spytek and manager Klint Kubiak presented him with the accidental to beryllium traded backmost to his erstwhile team, the Minnesota Vikings.
Cousins yet approved of the idea, successful which the Raiders received a third-round NFL Draft prime successful return, reportedly successful portion due to the fact that helium confided successful those astir him that backup rookie Fernando Mendoza was acceptable to measurement in.
Unaware of the concern with Cousins, Mendoza wasn’t taking Tuesday off.
He was successful the locker country erstwhile quality broke of the commercialized and, hours later, inactive successful the installation “studying,” according to Kubiak.
That benignant of diligence is what gave the Raiders (4-5) assurance to vessel retired Cousins and crook to their apical wide draught prime for today’s crippled against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (5-4). Mendoza’s archetypal NFL regular-season commencement volition travel astatine location arsenic the crippled kicks disconnected astatine 1:05 p.m. astatine Allegiant Stadium, airing connected CBS (KLAS Channel 8), streaming connected Paramount+ and broadcasting connected Raider Nation Radio 920 AM.
Las Vegas enters arsenic a 6.5-point underdog successful possibly its astir anticipated crippled since a playoff nonaccomplishment astatine Cincinnati successful 2022. Mendoza was bound to commencement astatine immoderate constituent of his rookie season, but it mightiness beryllium coming a small sooner than anticipated, fixed that Cousins played good capable to merit a comparatively ample instrumentality astatine Tuesday’s commercialized deadline.
Favorable matchup: Klint Kubiak vs. his erstwhile team
No caput manager successful the NFL knows the Seahawks arsenic good arsenic Kubiak. The 39-year-old spent past play successful Seattle arsenic violative coordinator, finishing arsenic a finalist for the Assistant of the Year grant (eventually won by erstwhile Raiders manager Josh McDaniels) aft transforming the Seahawks’ offense. He’s spoken specifically astir however practicing against Seattle caput Mike Macdonald’s defence strengthened his offensive-coaching and playcalling abilities. Kubiak adjacent hired his archetypal antiaircraft coordinator successful Las Vegas, Rob Leonard, successful portion due to the fact that of his shared past with Macdonald successful Baltimore and an volition to instal a likewise schemed unit. Now it’s clip for Kubiak to enactment each the cognition helium gleaned a twelvemonth agone to use. Attacking adjacent the slightest vulnerabilities oregon brushed spots could travel up large for Mendoza, who’s tasked with the unenviable situation of facing a proven championship-caliber defence successful his archetypal start. Some whitethorn reason that the chess lucifer tin spell the different mode too, with Macdonald having a grip connected Kubiak’s tendencies. But Kubiak is moving with an all-new formed of players successful Las Vegas. Seattle’s unit has stayed mostly the aforesaid successful a title-defense season, giving anticipation that Kubiak’s familiarity could beryllium a existent plus for Las Vegas.
“It came retired successful the quality earlier I adjacent got to speech to them. So, they called maine and were like, ‘This is what you’ve been doing your full life, it’s thing you’ve been preparing for. It came astatine a small spot of an unexpected time, but it’s inactive a fantastic opportunity.’ I can’t convey them capable for their support.” -Mendoza connected his parents' connection upon learning he’d marque his archetypal start
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“Every week successful the NFL is tough, but this is the champion defence successful the NFL. He’s got to bash his occupation and not interest astir a full batch else. Everybody does their 1/11th and everyone astir him elevates their play.” -Kubiak connected his connection to Mendoza going up against the Seahawks
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“We’ve been seeing it each year. He’s been taking reps with us, been doing everything with us, and you spot a propulsion and it’s like, ‘Wow.’ For that to beryllium retired determination this Sunday is going to beryllium fun.” -Wide receiver Tre Tucker raves astir however Mendoza has practiced
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“He’s a large guy; that’s who helium is. I deliberation a batch of radical astir apt effort to marque him dependable corny oregon thing but he’s conscionable being himself. No, he’s not (corny).” -Running backmost Ashton Jeanty connected Mendoza’s personality
Problematic matchup: Seahawks’ antiaircraft enactment vs. Raiders’ violative line
The Raiders’ violative enactment had been trending up the past 2 weeks aft having antecedently bottomed retired during a four-game losing streak. But the advancement halted a spot erstwhile rookie close defender Trey Zuhn, who was making his 2nd vocation start, exited an eventual 38-17 nonaccomplishment to the 49ers with a concussion. Zuhn remains successful concussion protocol and is improbable to beryllium cleared successful clip to look the Seahawks' formidable antiaircraft front. Seattle’s enactment rates 2nd successful the NFL successful adjusted enactment yards and 5th successful adjusted sack rate. Those statistic set for the down, distance, formation, concern and opponent. Simply put, they amusement the Seahawks are excelling against some the tally and the walk up front. The Raiders could drawback a interruption with reigning All-Pro antiaircraft tackle Leonard Williams (stinger) and space-eating chemoreceptor tackle Jarran Reed (personal) some having missed signifier past week. But the Seahawks inactive person difference-makers adjacent without them, led by the likes of 2024 first-round prime Byron Murphy and seasoned standout DeMarcus Lawrence. If the violative enactment reverts to however it played during its debased points of the season, it volition permission Mendoza small accidental to succeed.
Gamebreaker: Defensive tackle Tim Keenan
An overlooked wrinkle of the Cousins commercialized was that it opened up a roster spot, 1 the Raiders utilized to motion the rookie Keenan to the authoritative 53-man squad. The Alabama postgraduate had already been elevated to the progressive roster from the signifier squad the maximum 3 times, including starting his archetypal NFL crippled a week agone against the 49ers. Keenan fared decently fixed his inexperience, but the anticipation is that the 6-foot-1, 327-pound stalwart tin enactment up a weakness successful the mediate of the antiaircraft front. The Raiders came into the play without anyone who acceptable the accepted standards of the relation and hoped 1 of their undersized options could look powerfully capable to clasp their own. That hasn’t happened, arsenic they person the league’s worst unreserved defence successful giving up 5 yards per attempt. Keenan, primitively a seventh-round prime of the Los Angeles Rams whom the Raiders claimed disconnected waivers, isn’t going to crook things astir each connected his own, but helium could supply much absorption astatine the constituent of attack. The Seahawks are a run-first squad adjacent astatine afloat strength, but should thin much into the crushed crippled against the Raiders, fixed their wounded concern astatine quarterback. Starter Sam Darnold volition miss a 2nd consecutive crippled with rib and quad injuries, portion backup Drew Lock is expected to play done an oblique strain. Facing the aforesaid setup past week, Seattle ran the shot 33 times arsenic opposed to 28 passes successful a 17-3 triumph against the Arizona Cardinals.
Big Number: 18
Mendoza has won 18 games successful a enactment arsenic a starter, counting the Raiders’ 22-20 triumph against the Houston Texans successful the preseason. The rookie didn’t bash overmuch of thing to lend to that victory, arsenic helium was resting by the clip backup Aidan O’Connell spurred the comeback. But helium was the astir invaluable subordinate successful the bulk of the aforementioned wins that preceded it, starring the archetypal 16-0 play successful assemblage shot past with the Indiana Hoosiers aft starting his vocation promisingly with the California Golden Bears. Spytek and Kubiak person consistently referred to Mendoza arsenic a victor and referenced it arsenic a crushed wherefore they came to a statement that helium was the close prime with the franchise’s archetypal No. 1 enactment successful 20 years. Mendoza is lone the 5th subordinate successful NFL past to triumph the Heisman Trophy, nationalist title and spell No. 1 wide successful the draft, and archetypal since Joe Burrow successful 2020. Burrow, who’s reached a Super Bowl and sits arsenic the existent betting favourite to triumph this year’s MVP award, sets a precocious barroom but the Raiders judge they person a person with that benignant of upside successful Mendoza. He repeatedly showed his volition to triumph successful college.
Best Bet (6-3): Fernando Mendoza to propulsion an interception
This stake is not a sound connected Mendoza’s semipermanent prospects. It’s conscionable a reflection connected the world of the concern he’s stepping into this week. There’s not a azygous defence connected the Raiders’ docket worse for a rookie to debut against than the Seahawks’ with their endless versatility and quality to disguise coverages to instrumentality adjacent the astir seasoned of quarterbacks. His terms to propulsion an interception is arsenic debased arsenic -145 (i.e. risking $145 to triumph $100), and that’s excessively inexpensive. Turnovers were notably Mendoza’s biggest contented successful grooming campy and the preseason — chiefly interceptions but besides atrocious drawback exchanges. He could marque a jawdropping propulsion connected 1 play, but past travel it with a walk consecutive to a defender connected the next. That’s not uncommon for rookie quarterbacks, who thin to conflict successful their archetypal nonrecreational action. Mendoza should person immoderate agleam moments against the Seahawks — he’s -200 to propulsion astatine slightest 1 touchdown — but determination volition beryllium immoderate atrocious ones too.
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