Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said Kirk Cousins is the starter “but if Fernando [Mendoza]'s number is called we have confidence in him.”

12 October 2026

No real surprise after Mendoza’s mop-up appearance in Week 5. It doesn’t appear that he’s taken a major step towards unseating Cousins — who has played well — just yet. But it remains a reasonable bet to happen in the near future.