Raiders Takeaways: Arizona (Exhibition)

The Preseason Edition of the Klint Kubiak era started in Las Vegas with mixed reviews in the 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

“It’s his job to lose”

That was the comment made by Kubiak about Kirk Cousins and the starting quarterback job. John Spytek and Tom Brady deserve a lot of credit when they decided not to throw rookie quarterback and overall number one pick, Fernando Mendoza, into the fire.

It’s been decades since the Raiders organization has had a homegrown, franchise-level starting quarterback. Derek Carr was very good and a solid starting quarterback, but not a franchise quarterback in the way the term is used.

Spytek had to identify a veteran quarterback with a season or two of starting left in him. Cousins fits that as opposed to someone like Malik Willis, who is seeking to be a starter for the next few seasons. A player like Willis was out of the question as soon as the Raiders knew they were in position to draft a potential franchise quarterback.

Cousins played one drive last night and went 5-for-6 with a touchdown pass. He did exactly what the Raiders brought him in to do, and he hopes to do so throughout the season.

Most media and fans feel as if Mendoza will start sometime this season, but if the Raiders want to ensure that long-term development is at the forefront, a Mendoza start would come in the final two weeks of a non-playoff season.

Speaking of Mendoza…

The rookie looked like a rookie in his first appearance in a true game situation.

His laser to Malik Benson was impressive. The 19-yard completion in the middle of the field between multiple Cardinal defenders gave everyone a sneak peek at his arm and confidence. Mendoza’s first professional touchdown pass came on a slant to John Bech on third and goal.

Other than that, Mendoza played like a guy who is learning the position. That led to a sack and an unnecessary hard hit. He also threw a pass that led Mike Washington Jr. into a hard hit.

“It was great to get out there, get my feet wet,” said Mendoza. “Especially the first drive, felt a little sped up because of so much anticipation and excitement, however, I feel like my teammates around me protected me very well and they helped slow me down.”

Mendoza did enough to convince the front office that they have drafted the right player, while acknowledging that bringing in Cousins was probably the right decision.

Defense

What can you say? The Cardinals didn’t have an incompletion until the third quarter. Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew took turns carving up the Raiders’ secondary, which, at times, was in the right place but didn’t make a play on the ball.

The Cardinals scored on every possession in the first half and, as bad as the pass defense was in the first half, the run defense wasn’t much better.

Maxx Crosby didn’t play, and there isn’t cause for concern about the side of the ball that was half-decent last season, but last night, even for a preseason game, was disappointing.