Fernando Mendoza, the Las Vegas Raiders’ No. 1 draft pick, makes a touchdown pass in his preseason debut but the Raiders lose 27-14 to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night. Mendoza leads a touchdown drive in one of his four offensive series and finishes his outing having connected on 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards, including a six-yard touchdown throw to Jack Bech.
The game features Arizona’s offense generating points despite Mendoza’s early scoring contribution for Las Vegas. Across the sources provided, the Raiders’ scoring comes from Mendoza’s TD drive, while the Cardinals’ offense responds with a win that includes Love running for 58 yards in his Cardinals debut. The Cardinals ultimately control the final score, and the Raiders’ performance is framed around Mendoza’s individual debut rather than a team turnaround.
One outlet’s coverage emphasizes Mendoza’s role and statistics within the Raiders’ preseason opener, while another highlights the matchup’s broader context, including running output from Arizona and the final margin. Both accounts agree on Mendoza’s touchdown pass and the 27-14 result.
