Preseason football isn't supposed to mean much, but Wednesday night's Raiders-Texans tilt in Houston turned into a genuine rollercoaster. The Texans built an early cushion off a Raiders miscue, Las Vegas rookie Fernando Mendoza had a night to forget, and it still came down to the final seconds.
It started ugly for Las Vegas. A Raiders breakdown near midfield turned into six points the other way, and social media pounced immediately.
Bust https://t.co/EnaljTeacS
That was only part of the damage. Mendoza, Las Vegas' rookie quarterback, threw a third-quarter-drive interception that Wade Woodaz returned 80 yards for a touchdown, ballooning the deficit to 14-0. Mendoza finished 8-of-15 for 86 yards in the half before giving way to backup Aidan O'Connell, who took over and led the comeback, capping it with a 1-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds left to seal the 22-20 win.
The game stayed tight deep into the fourth quarter, with Houston still clinging to a lead before Las Vegas' late push flipped it.
https://t.co/eq8OhzVWle https://t.co/eq8OhzVWle
Mendoza's rough outing matters beyond this box score. Las Vegas coach Klint Kubiak has kept the Week 1 quarterback job officially open, and Kirk Cousins remains the presumed favorite to start behind him as a bridge veteran while Mendoza develops. A pick-six in front of the coaching staff is exactly the kind of night that keeps that competition from being a formality.
Amid the rough stat line, Mendoza still had a moment that went viral for the right reasons. Cameras caught him passing along a sideline message for a broadcast legend before the game wrapped.
“Please tell Mr. Buck I say hello” Fernando Mendoza is already the nicest dude in the league https://t.co/dOQV3MwyjS
None of it changes the standings, but it's the kind of preseason night that sticks. Mendoza gets tape to learn from, O'Connell gave Kubiak a real data point in the QB battle, and Cousins watches the whole thing play out from the sideline as the presumptive Week 1 starter.