3 Things I Learned From Raiders Preseason Thriller

Fernando Mendoza had his "Welcome to the NFL" moment after he threw an interception to fellow rookie Wade Woodaz, who returned it for an 80-yard pick-six. He completed 8 of his 15 passes for 86 yards, threw the interception mentioned above, and took a sack for a loss of 11 yards.

The Texans consistently generated pressure and got him antsy in the pocket, a stark contrast to his performance against the Arizona Cardinals. Another interesting note is that the interception happened once Mendoza's first option was taken away. Something to note as Mendoza's development continues: he'll have to get better at working under pressure at the NFL level.

AOC Rises

Aidan O'Connell, take a bow. I was critical of him because of his performance against the Cardinals and because I believed this was the perfect time for him to build up his trade stock. His only future in the Silver and Black is as a backup, with Kirk Cousins being the starter until Mendoza is ready to take the reins.

He showed up and showed out, leading the Raiders to this improbable victory once they were already down big. It is only the preseason, so it does come with an asterisk. However, the fact that he was attempting these gutsy throws downfield should inspire confidence in teams looking for a quarterback.

Breakout RB

It's clearer now than ever that the Raiders will not be able to keep Mike Washington Jr. off the field. He had another explosive run in the preseason, this time going for 33 yards. This may be an overreaction, but I think this backfield will be entirely split by midseason.

Washington Jr. is simply too fast and too strong not to use him behind their improved offensive line. Jeanty will still be the starting running back for this team, but at the goal line, I don't know who Kubiak will favor more.