Fernando Mendoza: ‘A lot more to learn’

HOUSTON — After throwing a pick‑six against the Texans, Fernando Mendoza walked toward the visiting sideline at Reliant Stadium. Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby was already waiting for the rookie quarterback.

Crosby tapped Mendoza’s helmet and gave him a few words of encouragement. It was a small moment of reassurance Thursday night for the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner out of Indiana.

“There’s a lot more learning to do,” Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza says after completing 8 of 15 pass attempts for 85 yards and one interception against the Texans.
The No. 1 overall pick was asked what he learned in his week of joint practices and game against Houston. pic.twitter.com/u1KDL85uxp

— Our Esquina (@OurEsquina) August 21, 2026

That brief moment of consolation framed a night defined by small, necessary steps in Mendoza’s second preseason outing.

“Maxx is a great team captain and great team leader,” Mendoza said after the Raiders rallied for a 22-20 comeback victory over the Texans. “He’s always encouraging for that resilience because adversity is going [to] happen. And him just saying, I forgot, I don’t wanna put words in his mouth, but it was something along the lines of, ‘Hey, we got your back. Let’s go. Next play.’

“So just to push the page, move forward, and to hear that from a team captain is very inspiring.”

Fernando Mendoza makes first preseason start

The interception came on an overthrown pass that Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz snatched and returned 80 yards for a touchdown. Mendoza chased Woodaz down the field, but the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder was shoved aside near the 15‑yard line as Woodaz headed into the end zone.

“That’s who he is,” head coach Klint Kubiak said of Mendoza. “Defensively, they covered the play really well, and the ‘backer did a great job second‑stepping in front of our checkdown.

“I got to go watch (a replay). But the response is what we’ve come to expect from (Mendoza).”

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Mendoza absorbed several hits and was sacked once. He steadied himself and led the Raiders to a field goal before halftime. His pocket movement and decision‑making kept the offense functional despite the early mistake.

As is custom in the NFL preseason, Mendoza played only the first half before giving way to third-string quarterback Aidan O’Connell. Mendoza, who is expected to start his rookie season as the backup quarterback, threw for 86 yards with an interception. He completed eight of 15 attempts.

‘Plenty to clean up’

“I think there’s plenty to clean up,” Kubiak said. “Plenty to get better at, plenty that we can do better for (Mendoza) as coaches, plenty that he can learn from.”

Mendoza, 22, echoed that sentiment, reflecting on the margins he’s learning to navigate the NFL.

Maxx Crosby reassured Fernando Mendoza with a helmet slap after Raiders rookie QB threw a pick 6.

Crosby compared his botched trade to Ravens with Mendoza INT: "That's life. It's how you respond to things. It's the same thing Fernando's situation." pic.twitter.com/WlrpST7Ped

— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) August 21, 2026

“I came away that there’s a lot of more learning to do and that although that maybe you had a lot of success at another level,” Mendoza said. “This level’s a whole step further in that the margins are so small and that, you know, one tiny mistake can lead to catastrophe.

“So I want to make sure that I best serve my teammates and get better from these experiences.”