Can Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes return to MVP form in 2026?
Can Patrick Mahomes return to MVP form in 2026? The Sports Seriously NFL crew breaks down what it will take for the Chiefs superstar to get back to his best.
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After completing a trying joint practice with the Houston Texans this week, Fernando Mendoza couldn’t keep his ebullient energy from bubbling to the surface.
Speaking about the challenges of operating in the Las Vegas Raiders’ precision-driven offense that feels as though it’s yet to have all its players operating in the same time zone, the No. 1 overall pick launched into a soliloquy that more closely resembled a TED Talk than an NFL news conference.
“If it’s tough, it’s worth it, and that’s why it works at the highest level,” Mendoza began on Tuesday, Aug. 18, in a clip that quickly went viral. “It’s great because (as) teammates, we rely on each other. … There are just so many different variables to it.
“And when we all rely on each other, I believe it makes us closer. And when we become an oiled unit and have all this synergy and become a dynamic ecosystem … that’s what teams in this system take to the next level.”
By the end of Thursday, Aug. 20, that heightened optimism had dissipated.
With veteran Kirk Cousins granted the night off, Mendoza took the starting reins for the Raiders’ second preseason tilt. Almost instantly, things went awry for the offense. The Heisman Trophy winner’s ill-advised checkdown to rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. was snagged by Texans rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz and returned 80 yards for a touchdown. The off-kilter unit managed just 3 points in five drives helmed by Mendoza, who threw for 86 yards on 8-of-15 passing, before the quarterback gave way for the second half to Aidan O’Connell, who powered a 22-20 comeback win.
To some, a shaky outing in this stripped-down setting might have been alarming, given the massive expectations Mendoza faces in transforming a franchise that’s been rudderless for years.
But the performance largely served as confirmation of what has long been readily evident: The Raiders’ offense is a far cry from the finely tuned machine Mendoza spoke of. And only a fraction of the breakdowns can be traced back to the young passer.
Preseason problems aplenty for Raiders
Yes, Mendoza got the benefit of squaring off against the Texans’ second-string defense in the preseason showdown rather than the stars that comprised the league’s stingiest unit last year. But the Indiana product, who worked extensively with the first-team offense during joint practice, was surrounded almost exclusively by backups on Thursday.
No one who broke the first huddle made a strong case for a promotion.
The lack of support became a running theme after the interception.
The offensive line repeatedly subjected Mendoza to quick pressures and big hits. The most glaring slip-up came when defensive tackle Kayden McDonald – a 326-pound rookie tasked primarily with stuffing the run – barreled through Las Vegas’ interior line nearly untouched en route to corralling Mendoza for an 11-yard sack.
That same front didn’t create much of a push in the run game, either. Though Washington broke free for a 33-yard gain one play prior to Mendoza’s interception, the play was a product of his patience and creativity as he navigated a traffic jam in the middle and escaped the grasp of at least four would-be tacklers.
Mendoza’s receiving corps largely let him down as well. Rookie sixth-round pick Malik Benson, with whom Mendoza had fostered a strong connection throughout training camp, had two costly drops. One pass bounced off his hands on third-and-7, negating what would have been an easy first down. He later cost Mendoza another conversion when he couldn’t secure a third-down pass on the Raiders’ penultimate drive of the half.
When his supporting cast held up, Mendoza largely managed to deliver. He threw impressive downfield strikes to Jalen Nailor (22 yards) and Benson (18 yards).
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak succinctly captured the dynamic in a halftime interview.
“(The offense) did some good things after the turnover, but that can’t happen,” Kubiak said. “And I gotta help (Mendoza) a lot more than I am.”
For Mendoza and the offense as a whole, the shortcomings that resurfaced were all known issues. All of them were contributing factors to the team gravitating toward keeping the rookie out of the fold in the early going and letting Cousins handle the inevitable early turbulence.
Joint practice was the real test
At its best, the preseason provides coaching staffs with additional data points on players and the larger state of specific units.
But the value that can be extracted from exhibitions often pales in comparison to the insights that can be gleaned from joint practices.
That was certainly the case for Mendoza and the Raiders. It was little wonder that the team wanted to challenge the signal-caller by ramping up his first-team reps against the league’s most straightforward yet feared pass rush.
“That joint practice is the game,” Kubiak said after the preseason victory Thursday.
The earlier session went down in expected fashion. Both Cousins and Mendoza faced incessant pressure, necessitating a heavy dose of checkdowns. Kubiak exited saying his group had “lots to improve on.”
Yet those stumbles might amount to more than a reality check. For Mendoza, who so often last year enjoyed the benefits of an Indiana attack that seldom sputtered, a critical part of the acclimation process has been limit-testing.
“This level is a whole step further,” Mendoza said after his second preseason game. “The margins are so small. One tiny mistake can lead to catastrophe.”
Sometimes that manifests in not being on the same page as his target, as was the case on his pick-six. In other cases, it means misreading the depth of a safety, as he did in the practice session when Jalen Pitre intercepted his pass during a red-zone drill.
“That’s the beautiful nature of film: you’re gonna be able to go in there, watch and learn,” Mendoza said Tuesday. “Although I take every practice like a game, there’s no negative repercussions from today except learning experience. You never want to let your teammates down in a red-zone period. But at the same time, it’s the best time for it to happen, especially against another team.”
Mendoza has harped on the notion of letting his teammates down, which he said he did in his mixed bag of a preseason debut. Yet with the likes of teammate Maxx Crosby, Texans star Will Anderson Jr. and more singing his praises this week, the quarterback would be well-served to extend himself his grace. At this point in his career, the Raiders have made it clear they’re more worried about failing him than vice versa.
At least Mendoza seemed to start seeing that bigger picture this week when discussing both Pitre’s interception and an impressive connection with tight end Brock Bowers.
“I’m a rookie quarterback. I need to learn from experiences,” Mendoza said Tuesday. “Those are two experiences, good and bad – and sometimes you might even learn a little bit more from the bad than the good.”
With one preseason game left, Mendoza has plenty of moments from both categories on which to build.