On his second pass of the preseason game against the Houston Texans on Thursday night, Mendoza threw an interception.And not just any interception, because Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz plucked the ball out of the air and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown.RAIDERS ROOKIE FERNANDO MENDOZA THANKS GOD FOR NFL DEBUT THAT COMPARES FAVORABLY WITH 'MR.BRADY'Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws against the Houston Texans under pressure during the first half of an NFL preseason game Thursday, Aug.
20, 2026, in Houston.(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)No bueno, as they say in Miami, where Mendoza was born and grew up.Mendoza, clearly downcast, was seen red-faced on the Raiders sideline after the play even as some teammates tried to console him.Veteran Maxx Crosby, perhaps the Raiders' most accomplished player, was among the first to try to console young Mendoza."Yeah, that's football, you know? It's not gonna be perfect, you know?" Crosby told ESPN's Laura Rutledge on the sideline.
"He's a rookie.You got to go through, you know, some ups and downs as part of the game, and it's how you respond."So that's basically what I just told him, keep being yourself, keep playing."Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders celebrates against the Cincinnati Bengals during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium on January 15, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)RAIDERS NEW HEAD COACH KLINT KUBIAK NAMES KIRK COUSINS STARTING QB OVER NO.1 PICK FERNANDO MENDOZAThis outing was nowhere near as clean or efficient for Mendoza as his NFL debut last week.
Against the Arizona Cardinals, Mendoza completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a TD pass.More importantly, Mendoza did not throw an interception in that game.He finished this game completing just over 50% of his passes (8 of 15) and his abysmal passer rating of 42.6 reflected the errant throw returned for a score.Mendoza was also erratic in the first half before his evening ended.
He had the in...