The Raiders Abandoned Their Plan for Fernando Mendoza

Raiders’ general manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak have preached since the offseason that a rookie quarterback needs time to develop. They decided to not let Fernando Mendoza become the starter until he was ready. 

But the Raiders’ decision makers let the trade deadline decide when they turned to their rookie quarterback, flying in the face of their own plan. 

By trading away Kirk Cousins, the Raiders have officially turned to Mendoza at quarterback. But it may have come at the worst time in the schedule. 

Mendoza’s first two starts in the NFL are scheduled to come against the Seahawks and Broncos, two of the best defenses in the NFL. The Seahawks’ passing defense ranks fourth in expected points added, while the Broncos are 10th. 

Mendoza’s ability to read defenses before the snap and to navigate the pocket will be put to the test immediately. Both the Seahawks and Broncos are top six in pressure rate in the NFL. Kirk Cousins did an excellent job of avoiding sacks, but Mendoza may not be nearly as good at keeping his jersey clean. 

One other issue for Mendoza is the lack of a running game. The Raiders have been one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL. Ashton Jeanty has ceded his bell-cow role in the backfield and now splits time with Mike Washington. The rushing attack has been so inept, the Raiders effectively benched the former sixth-overall pick. 

That means the Raiders will be solely reliant on Mendoza to move the offense down the field. Cousins was doing just that for the first nine games of the season. 

Facing two excellent pass defenses without a rushing attack might make Mendoza’s first couple of starts a mess. 

Mendoza’s third start would come against the Browns, who rank ninth in EPA when facing the pass. However, Cleveland’s defense doesn’t create the same amount of pressure as the Seahawks and Broncos. It likely won’t be an easy matchup, but Mendoza might have an easier time in Cleveland. 

After three games, the Raiders finally hit their bye week, which will give Mendoza and the offense a chance to regroup. Out of the bye, the Raiders face the Chargers. While it is possible the Raiders give the Chargers their first win of the season, that should be a nice matchup for Mendoza. 

Ultimately the Raiders let the trade deadline dictate their quarterback plan. With the team one game out of the playoffs and facing two tough tests, this is one of the worst possible times to move to a rookie quarterback. 

Despite Spytek and Kubiak acting like they had a carefully crafted plan to wait until Mendoza was ready, the Raiders let the Minnesota Vikings decide when their rookie quarterback will play.