Raiders' No. 1 PICK Mendoza Starts Preseason Game Against Texans, Leads to Promising Start
-
Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, started and played the entire first half of the Las Vegas Raiders' second preseason game against the Houston Texans on Thursday. He completed 8-of-15 passes for 86 yards and an interception.
Compare 2 other versions
Bleacher ReportMendoza battled through a tough test against the Texans defense in playing the entire first half. He finished 8-of-15 for 86 yards and a pick-six thrown to Houston linebacker Wade Woodaz.
Yahoo SportsMendoza threw a pick-six on a throw he likely wanted back, and he finished the game without scoring a touchdown.
-
Aidan O'Connell had better luck against the Texans' defense. The Raiders' backup quarterback completed 15 of 24 passes as he led his team to a 22-20 comeback victory, erasing a 20-3 halftime deficit.
Compare 1 other version
Yahoo SportsIn the end, the Raiders did win the game against the Houston Texans on the road with a 22-20 final, and QB3 Aidan O'Connell scored the game-winning rushing touchdown in the final seconds.
-
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak has not announced whether Mendoza or Kirk Cousins, who did not play Thursday, will be the Week 1 starter. It's still assumed Cousins will get the job, but Mendoza has received more reps with the first-team offense recently to keep things open.
Compare 2 other versions
Fox SportsWith quarterback Kirk Cousins sitting along with the majority of Las Vegas' starters, and head coach Klint Kubiak's declaration, it's clear Mendoza will fulfill the backup role for the near future. He still has a ways to go to be ready to start in the NFL, but Thursday's preseason game, full of learning moments, will help him on that journey.
Yahoo SportsFollowing the game, Kubiak even failed to name a starting QB for Week 1, leaving some questions as to if the franchise decides to troy Mendoza out there despite the plan always being Cousins as the QB1.
-
The Raiders have one more preseason contest left against the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 27 before they start to fully prepare for the regular season.
Compare 1 other version
Yahoo SportsThe Raiders have one more preseason contest remaining, so it will be worth seeing what Kubiak and the Raiders decide to do with their franchise QB.
3 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
-
01 Yahoo Sports Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak didn't play veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in the team's second preseason game. And, frankly, there was no reason for Cousins to take snaps.
-
02 Bleacher Report While being interviewed on the sidelines by ESPN's Laura Rutledge, Mendoza gave a shoutout to play-by-play commentator Joe Buck as only he can.
-
03 Fox Sports There is a real scenario where San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle could return as early as the regular season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Kittle had a visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache that was "encouraging" on Wednesday, as it's believed he's ahead of schedule with his recovery from an Achilles tear he suffered in January, ESPN reported.
Fact Corroboration
Which sources independently confirm the same facts. Hover a claim to see its sources, or a source to see what it corroborates.
Coverage by Region
Source Similarity
Connections show how similarly each outlet covered this story. Thicker lines = more similar framing.
Sources (3)
- bleacherreport
- foxsports
- yahoosports