Welcome To The NFL – Fernando Mendoza is Now Raiders QB1, His First Two Starts Will Come Against Seattle and Denver

Congratulations, Fernando Mendoza. Well deserved. I mean... the Raiders did kind of force their own hand by trading Kirk Cousins at the deadline. But still. As a man who's rooting for Fernando Mendoza to have success in the NFL, I'm going to choose to believe the Raiders would not have done so if they thought their National Championship-winning #1 draft pick wasn't perfectly ready and prepared to start his NFL career against the defenses of the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

Regardless of how much confidence you have in Fernando Mendoza, that's one hell of a tough draw. It's hard to think of a more difficult way to start a career. Not only will Fernando Mendoza be facing two of the best defenses in football, but he's now doing so without Kirk Cousins on the sidelines. I'd imagine Kirk Cousins was a pretty great mentor for a QB coming into the league. In many ways, Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza seem like different versions of the same person. I'm sure Fernando Mendoza has learned all he possibly could from the guy in the limited time he had with him. But the Las Vegas Raiders QB room now consists of Fernando Mendoza, Aidan O'Connell... and that's it? I think? Do they even have a practice squad guy? I sure don't see one listed anywhere. Are the Raiders about to sign whoever the hell the Vikings cut, just to have a warm body?

Guess it's time for Fernando Mendoza to be a man. Uncle Kirk is off to Minnesota. The Raiders are 4-5, with a defense that hasn't allowed less than 30 points since September, and the defending Super Bowl Champions roll into town on Sunday. Buckle up the chin strap, Fernando. You've got this. Remember where you came from.

The good news is, after these next two weeks... well, then they have the Browns. That's a pretty damn good defense too. But THEN they have the Chargers... followed by yet another game vs the Broncos the next week. Woof. Welcome to the NFL.