Fernandomania has officially begun in the desert.
With the Las Vegas Raiders trading quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings in before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, Las Vegas are expected to turn to Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the draft earlier this year, under center.
Mendoza is slated to make his first career start against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at home on Sunday, Nov. 15 (4:05 ET).
Mendoza’s lone regular-season action came during his debut, at the end of a Week 4 road loss to the New England Patriots on Oct. 11. He finished 6-for-8 passing for 48 yards.
Mendoza’s first two opponents boast vaunted defensive units. Seattle’s defense, dubbed the “Dark Side” for a reason, did not allow a touchdown last
week to the undermanned Arizona Cardinals. Looking ahead, the Raiders face the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 11. Denver ranks in the top 10 in points allowed per game (20.7), sacks (26) and takeaways (12).
"I feel that Fernando has done a great job,” Cousins told reporters Oct. 26. “He has a bright future ahead. I'm going to try and go out there and play as well as I possibly can and try and win and give him a good example to learn from."
On his Instagram story, Cousins offered a goodbye to “Raider Nation” and a message to Mendoza, whom Cousins tagged in the post.
“Go get em (sic),” Cousins wrote.
Toughening matters for Mendoza on the field will be the lack of a rushing attack for the Raiders. First-round talent Ashton Jeanty from the 2025 draft has not worked out, although rookie Mike Washington has shown some juice in the backfield. Still, Las Vegas ranks 31st in rushing yards per game (71.3) and is last in yards per rush (2.9).
Similar to Cousins, Mendoza will likely have to shoulder much of the output in the Raiders’ offense.
“The game has to be balanced,” head coach Klint Kubiak said following the team’s most recent loss to the San Francisco 49ers that dropped their record to 4-5. “You can’t be a running and throwing team when you're throwing it every time. That's not easy.
“You got to start the game a lot faster. You got to go toe-to-toe in the first half so that the second half isn't a throwing fest.”
The good news is that tight end Brock Bowers ranks ninth in the league in receiving yards and provides a crucial red-zone target with six touchdowns already this season. Wide receiver Tre Tucker emerged as a reliable downfield option for Cousins, which gives Mendoza more relief in the passing game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fernando Mendoza gets 3-word message from Kirk Cousins after Raiders trade
