Seahawks To Face Raiders' Fernando Mendoza in Rookie's First Career Start

Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the most recent NFL Draft, will face arguably the best defense in football in his first career start.

The Las Vegas Raiders officially rang in the new era by trading veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to the QB-needy Minnesota Vikings ahead of the Raiders' Week 10 clash with the Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Vegas coach and former Seattle coordinator Klint Kubiak will deploy Mendoza against a defense that allowed just three points last week.

It will be the former Heisman Trophy winner's second appearance overall and first at home. On Oct. 11, Mendoza came in to throw 6-of-8 for 48 yards as the Raiders were blown out in Foxborough by the New England Patriots, 45-17.

"This is something that he's worked very hard for since the moment he's walked into this building," said Vegas general manager John Spytek, via the team website. "He passed every test. ... He put us in a position where we had to make a very hard decision today with his growth as a person, as a teammate, as a leader, as a quarterback."

"He's prepared," Kubiak said of the rookie, "he practices extremely well and his work habits also allowed us to make this trade because we feel that he's ready to go. And we're excited for him to take the ball for the game here this Sunday."

Cousins was brought in amid a busy offseason for the Raiders as an experienced leader who could scrape together wins and mentor their top rookie. With a 4-5 record this season, you could say he was successful on both fronts, as he now hands off the baton.

"I feel a lot more confident as a quarterback," Mendoza said. "There are many areas in which I have improved and I hope to continue growing because there is still a lot of work to be done."

Last week, Seattle faced a team with a similar quarterback situation. The Arizona Cardinals had just traded starter Jacoby Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens after he was benched for Gardner Minshew the game prior. Though Minshew found success late in his last substitution, there was nothing working against the Seahawks.

Arizona converted a field goal on the first drive of the game, then punted every series until their final possession was stopped at the goal line for a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter.

"Every week in the NFL is tough, and this is the best defense in the NFL," Kubiak said about the challenge facing his new team.

"Fernando has to go out and do his job without worrying about many other things. Everyone must fulfill their responsibility, and everyone around them must raise their level."

Though Kubiak is tasked with beginning the much-anticipated Mendoza era against a Mike Macdonald defense he is awfully familiar with, the coach has nothing but respect for the championship culture he experienced in the Pacific Northwest.

"I think it's just organizationally, just an all-football building," Kubiak said to reporters this week, "and from [general manager] John Schneider to Coach Macdonald, just extremely intelligent people that treat people the right way and get the most out of their people because they're genuinely good people."