The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a 45-17 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, a game in which they were described as unready and unworthy of sharing the field with the defending AFC champions. Quarterback Kirk Cousins addressed the media after the blowout, as did head coach Klint Kubiak. Rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, serving as Cousins’ backup, entered the game late and gained live reps despite the rout, noting he did not envision his NFL debut coming in such a loss but saw value in the experience.
Running back Ashton Jeanty, who was questionable to play due to a foot pain flareup, accounted for 27 rushing yards on 10 carries in the loss. The Patriots were without star cornerback Christian Gonzalez and three other cornerbacks, yet still dominated the Raiders. Mendoza has been Cousins’ backup and was the No. 1 overall draft pick called upon late in the game as Las Vegas was routed.
In other local sports news, UNLV football secured a big win over NDSU, though specific details of that game were not included in the provided source. The Review-Journal’s Dominic Lavoie and Heidi Fang recapped the Raiders’ loss, the UNLV victory, and broader athletics updates in their Vegas Sports Sunday segment. Additional coverage included discussion of NBA expansion possibilities to Las Vegas and commentary from VSiN experts Steve Makinen and Matt Youmans on an upcoming Rams game, noting the Rams were favored by 3 or 3½ points depending on the sportsbook, with a total of 54½.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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