The Las Vegas Raiders couldn't kick off their 2026 NFL preseason with a win, as they fell short to the Arizona Cardinals 27-14. There were a lot of things to be excited about if you're a Raiders fan, even if they lost.

One of the biggest storylines heading into the game was the debut of Fernando Mendoza, the first overall pick quarterback taken by the Raiders. This is just their second time obtaining the first overall pick in franchise history, so of course there was a lot of hype heading into it.

The Good

Mendoza played a different style of offense when he led the Indiana Hoosiers to a perfect season, as his new head coach, Klint Kubiak, loves to put the quarterback under center. In his preseason debut, Mendoza was under center a lot, so it's a good thing to see him already adapting to that style.

Another reason he was taken so high in the first place was his composure under pressure. I was looking to see if that could translate to the NFL level. Admittedly, it was preseason, but he was standing firm in the pocket and delivering strikes on third down.

The Reality

The reality is that nothing Mendoza can do in the preseason will convince the Raiders' front office that he should be the Week 1 starter. Kubiak has been adamant that Kirk Cousins will be the team's starter to open the season, and I don't think they would sign a veteran quarterback in the offseason without at least giving him a chance first.

However, based on his preseason performance, Mendoza may be given the reins sooner than anyone anticipated. It would be the Raiders' preference for Mendoza to sit out for an extended time and let Cousins rock out, but hardly anything in the NFL goes according to plan.

There will be pressure on Kubiak from NFL media and fans to put in the rookie if Cousins isn't playing well. Even if Cousins is performing well and they blow out a team, there's going to be plenty of people who believe Mendoza should be subbed in if the game is out of reach for the opponent.

Mendoza will face the Houston Texans in his next preseason contest, and if he continues to look poised and be accurate with the football, I don't think it's unrealistic to say that he might be the starter by Week 5.