Raiders preseason opener takeaways: Fernando Mendoza looks ready
It was a mixed bag for the Raiders in their 27-14 loss to the Cardinals in Thursday’s preseason opener at Allegiant Stadium.The good: An encouraging NFL debut for Fernando Mendoza, the first overall pick in the draft.A productive night for second-year wide receiver Jack Bech, who caught three passes on third downs, including a touchdown.Tight end Michael Mayer chipped in two catches for 19 yards and a touchdown, while running backs Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr.provided glimpses of the explosiveness the Raiders hope will transform their running game.The bad: A Raiders defense that surrendered 368 yards and watched Arizona march to touchdowns or field goals on each of its first five possessions.It’s August.
Conclusions can wait.But first impressions still matter.Here are three from Thursday:The first overall pick in the NFL draft, and the quarterback the Raiders hope will eventually lead them out of more than two decades of quarterback instability, looked perfectly comfortable in his first NFL action.That might have been the most encouraging part of Mendoza’s night.Playing mostly with the second-team offense, Mendoza completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and directed a touchdown drive.
More importantly, he looked poised when the stakes were highest, completing 3 of 4 passes on third down, with two producing first downs and another resulting in a six-yard touchdown pass to Bech.His only third-down miss came on a fourth-quarter shot to the end zone that was put in position for wide receiver Deven Thompkins but fell incomplete.Mendoza finished with a 100.3 passer rating.For a first NFL test, the Raiders will happily take it.The numbers were solid.The composure might have been more important.Mendoza never looked overwhelmed by the speed of the game, and for a rookie quarterback barely a month into his first NFL training camp, that matters far more than lighting up a preseason box score.The degree of difficulty increases considerably next week when the Ra...