Darts. The most memorable takeaway from Fernando Mendoza's rookie preseason debut is the darts.
The 2026 No. 1 overall pick zipped darts over the middle on Thursday night, fearless of tight windows, and used pinpoint accuracy to move the Las Vegas Raiders offense in his first preseason action, a 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
"I thought he led a good scoring drive as far as getting in and out of the huddle and commanding the group and getting the play calls down," said Raiders coach Klint Kubiak, via The Associated Press. "I saw the same guy that we've seen in practice. I see an ascending player."
The 6-foot-5 rookie splashed a good arm, heady playmaking and the ability to see it and rip it in four drives. He finished 10-of-16 passing for 97 yards with a TD and took one sack. Mendoza looked like a pro. There were no pre-snap issues. He adeptly analyzed the defense before the snap and calmly went through his progressions post-snap.
Mendoza walked the walk between the lines. He sounded like a starting quarterback afterward, self-critical of the little miscues that dotted the performance.
"Unfortunately, I let my teammates down today," Mendoza said. "But it's a growing experience, and I feel like we're all growing. It showed me that I need to grow a lot."
There certainly were some areas he needed to improve. On his first drive, Mendoza forced a ball to running back Mike Washington Jr., getting the running back blasted by the Cardinals' flat corner, who the QB either didn't see lurking or didn't anticipate speeding over. Later, he took a sack near the goal line, which he could have avoided by throwing the ball away. He also took another avoidable shot in the second half.
Mendoza's comments are understandable for a QB who strives for perfection. From an outside view -- and regarding the things that fans should care about -- the rookie passed with flying colors.
His TD laser to Jack Bech was a tight-window throw needed in the condensed part of the field. Mendoza's best throw of the night was a 19-yard strike to Malik Benson (another Raider to keep an eye on) between three defenders. The best part of the big play was that it came from under-center play-action, something Mendoza is just beginning to get used to. On the play, the QB made the fake, whipped his eyes around and found Benson at the top of his route. Just how Kubiak drew it up.
Mendoza pointed out that not all of his throws were as in rhythm.
"There's other passes I made that did not have great timing and anticipation," Mendoza said. "But that was one that was a good connection. You see (starter) Kirk (Cousins) is timing and anticipation -- boom, boom, boom. So that's an area I've got to grow in."
Mendoza didn't push Cousins off the Week 1 starting gig with his preseason performance. Cousins, who led a nearly flawless opening drive touchdown sprint, has a firm grasp on that. But the rookie showed what he can be.
Mendoza flashed the playmaking that turned heads at Indiana. He showed an ability to grow. In a short time, he's developed aspects of his game that were heretofore unused. And afterward, he exhibited that he won't get thrown off by expectations or praise. The little miscues matter more to Mendoza. Those are the signs of a future being built in the bright lights of the desert.
