Fernando Mendoza made his much-anticipated debut on Sunday, seeing action in the fourth quarter of the Las Vegas Raiders' loss to the New England Patriots, 45-17, at Gillette Stadium.
Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in this year's NFL Draft, had not played a single snap before facing the Patriots, serving as the backup to Kirk Cousins.
The 23-year-old rookie went 6-of-8 for 48 yards. He had one carry for three yards.
After the defeat, some posited that Mendoza might replace Cousins as the starter in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills. ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, however, quelled the speculation.
“I am told Kirk Cousins is in no danger of being benched any time soon. The Raiders were happy to get Mendoza's feet wet, but they remain in no hurry to make him their starter, especially sitting at 3-2 themselves,” wrote Graziano.
“The Raiders have played this right in that Cousins is a quarterback who can help them win, so there's no need to rush Mendoza, who's learning an NFL system. But Sunday's lopsided loss was a reminder that Mendoza will play sooner or later,” added Fowler.
The 38-year-old Cousins went 19-of-28 for 243 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked three times.
Article Continues BelowMendoza has embraced being Cousins' understudy, acknowledging that he is learning a lot from the veteran quarterback, particularly about efficiency, composure, and leadership.
“I've picked up so much from Kirk, not only his veteran experience, but also he's had experience with Coach (Klint) Kubiak in Minnesota (Vikings),” said Mendoza in a report from Yahoo! Sports' Thomas Murray in August.
The Raiders signed Cousins to a five-year, $172 million contract in the offseason.