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Las Vegas always knew how this would end. Kirk Cousins signed a one-year deal in the spring with the understanding that he was keeping the seat warm for Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner who led Indiana to a national title and went first overall in the 2026 draft. The timeline simply moved up. With Cousins traded to Minnesota this week, Mendoza takes over as the starter on Sunday when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks come to Allegiant Stadium.
First-year head coach Klint Kubiak said the rookie had gone beyond what the staff asked of him in practice, while conceding that “live bullets” on Sunday are a different animal. Mendoza, for his part, credited Cousins for welcoming him and said he now feels far more comfortable working under center and reading an NFL scheme.
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What Mendoza inherits
The veteran did not leave a bare cupboard. Cousins threw 20 touchdown passes, second only to Joe Burrow’s 23, and had the Raiders eighth in the league at 26.4 points per game. He did it with almost no help from the ground game, which averages 71.3 rushing yards, the second-worst figure in the NFL.
The results have still gone south. Las Vegas (4-5) has dropped five of its last six, including a 38-17 loss at San Francisco last weekend. Tight end Brock Bowers summed up the locker room mood bluntly: the rookie will have bad plays, and he has to flush them.
A brutal first test
Seattle (5-4) allows 244.2 total yards per game, fewest in the league, and sits tied for fourth in scoring defense at 18.0 points. Last week the Seahawks held Arizona to 198 yards in a 17-3 win. Kubiak was Seattle’s offensive coordinator last season, which led Mike Macdonald to describe the game as feeling like a divisional matchup.
The Seahawks have their own quarterback headache. Sam Darnold is out with a quadriceps injury and a cracked rib, so Drew Lock is set for a second straight start despite oblique and elbow issues that limited him early in the week. Quenton Nelson will not play, and Charles Cross, Leonard Williams and Brandon Pili all missed Wednesday’s practice ahead of Seattle’s bye. The Raiders reported a full practice.
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