Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza shows flashes but unevenness returns in NFL preseason Week 2

The Las Vegas Raiders brought Fernando Mendoza back for Week 2 of the NFL preseason on Aug. 20, treating the outing as an encore after his debut the previous week. Mendoza’s first pro snaps had gone without any major issues, and expectations naturally tilted toward a clean continuation. Instead, the second appearance carried a more mixed feel, with the performance described as uneven.

Mendoza entered the preseason as a developmental option, and Week 2 functioned as another live evaluation for both his command of the offense and his ability to process the game at speed. In the early preseason stages, quarterbacks are typically assessed less by single highlight plays and more by repeatable decision-making: how quickly the ball comes out, whether reads turn into checkdowns when pressure arrives, and whether timing with receivers holds when protections and routes change from drive to drive.

According to the breakdown published by Yahoo Sports, Mendoza’s outing included stretches where the rookie looked comfortable, followed by sequences that did not carry the same level of execution. That pattern matters because “even” quarterback play is often what separates a good preseason look from something that reshapes the competition. Teams can forgive a mistake in a single possession, but consistency indicates that a quarterback can earn more meaningful reps as the preseason moves toward evaluation-ending games.

The Raiders’ preseason Week 2 start is also a reminder that quarterback progression rarely travels in a straight line. Coaches can plan for a certain level of schematic continuity, but game flow and opponent looks force quarterbacks to adjust on the fly. The unevenness noted in Mendoza’s second game can come from multiple places, including protection quality, coverage disguises, and the timing between routes and drops. Even when the quarterback is making the correct read, a rushed throw or a late connection can still show up as a poor rep in the box score and in film review.

From a team-building standpoint, the central question is what Mendoza’s inconsistency revealed. Was it tied to decision pace, footwork under pressure, or timing with specific receiver concepts? Or did it simply reflect the normal learning curve of a quarterback converting practice preparation into real-game tempo? The answer is important because it shapes how much coaching staff time will be spent on mechanical fixes versus tactical adjustments before the next opportunity.

For fans watching the Raiders’ quarterback group, the immediate takeaway is that Mendoza’s preseason timeline remains in an active, evaluative phase. Week 2 did not deliver the kind of steady improvement that would end the conversation after only one prior outing, but it also did not come across as a disaster that would freeze his reps. The next preseason appearance, and how quickly he can tighten the gaps identified in Week 2, will likely define whether this becomes a gradual ramp or a longer project.