{"id":2442,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/2442","headline":"Raiders hand first NFL start to Mendoza against brutal Seahawks defense","dek":"With Geno Smith now in Minnesota, Fernando Mendoza gets his debut start against a Seattle defense allowing an NFL-low 244.2 yards per game.","body":"Fernando Mendoza finally gets his shot. The Raiders' No. 1 overall pick waited nine weeks for his first NFL start, and it arrives against a Seattle Seahawks defense built by Mike Macdonald, one of the league's sharper defensive minds and no friend to rookie quarterbacks.\n\nMendoza's only prior action came in a Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots, when he went 6 of 8 for 48 yards in relief. That is the entire NFL resume he brings into Sunday against a Seahawks unit allowing an NFL-low 244.2 yards per game.\n\nThe hype still exists for a reason. Mendoza completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards at Indiana last season and arrives with Heisman-level polish. But fantasy analysts are treating this as a learning trip rather than a breakout spot, with most rankings slotting him as a low-end QB2 even in superflex formats.\n\nThe Raiders' skill position outlook shifted the moment the quarterback change went through, reshaping how Las Vegas plans to attack a defense that has made life difficult for young passers all season. Sunday will be the first real test of whether Mendoza is ready for it.","published_at":"2026-11-13T23:34:29.699473+00:00","source_count":3,"written_from":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Raiders Week 10 fantasy start/sit: Brock Bowers in, Ashton Jeanty sits","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/raiders-week-10-fantasy-start-231454216.html"},{"outlet":"New York Post","publisher":"New York Post","title":"Raiders about to throw Fernando Mendoza into Seahawks’ QB meat grinder: Inside his first NFL test","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/11/13/sports/raiders-fernando-mendoza-faces-big-test-against-seahawks-defense/"},{"outlet":"CBS Sports","publisher":"CBS Sports","title":"Seahawks vs. Raiders picks: Fernando Mendoza era begins, most historical trends against No. 1 overall pick","url":"https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/seahawks-vs-raiders-picks-fernando-mendoza-era-begins-most-historical-trends-against-no-1-overall-pick/"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Seahawks defense presents a major test for Fernando Mendoza’s first NFL start","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/seahawks-defense-presents-major-test-150000050.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"What Tom Brady has already told Fernando Mendoza ahead of his Raiders debut start","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/tom-brady-already-told-fernando-160000657.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Seahawks vs. Raiders prediction, odds, pick for Fernando Mendoza’s first start in Week 10","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/seahawks-vs-raiders-prediction-odds-163528756.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Fernando Mendoza faces top-ranked Seattle Seahawks’ defense in 1st start for Las Vegas Raiders Week 10 key matchups","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/fernando-mendoza-faces-top-ranked-200100635.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Three quarterbacks set to make first-ever NFL starts this week","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/three-quarterbacks-set-first-ever-200053633.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Fernando Mendoza Has Strong Words for Kirk Cousins After Raiders Trade","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/fernando-mendoza-strong-words-kirk-221927748.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Top-drafted Mendoza makes daunting first Raiders start against Seahawks","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/top-drafted-mendoza-makes-daunting-235951868.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Fernando Mendoza will make 1st start vs. Seahawks, and he will have his work cut out for him vs. Mike Macdonald","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/fernando-mendoza-1st-start-vs-001935630.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Raiders believe Fernando Mendoza is ‘more than ready’ to step into QB1 role","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/raiders-believe-fernando-mendoza-more-070355631.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Nick Wright shares why he’s ‘a little concerned’ about Fernando Mendoza now","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nick-wright-shares-why-little-120445737.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Latest 2027 NFL mock draft has Raiders getting their WR1","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/latest-2027-nfl-mock-draft-140129397.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"NFL predictions: Fernando Mendoza’s time starts in Las Veags Raiders Week 10 matchup vs. Seattle Seahawks","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nfl-predictions-fernando-mendoza-time-190900237.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Raiders vs. Seahawks key matchups as Fernando Mendoza takes over at QB","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/raiders-vs-seahawks-key-matchups-201624876.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Las Vegas Raiders-Seattle Seahawks FEED Topic: Monitoring Fernando Mendoza’s 1st start","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/las-vegas-raiders-seattle-seahawks-232100058.html"}],"image":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/lo/mysterio/api/4980f8673d6655d5de8837caffa7b66821242ea604bb90145184787bccd68158/lightyear_networkapi/resizefill_w1200_h675%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Flas_vegas_raiders_wire_usa_today_sports_articles_842%2F864e103d4b7fbb63885eb12a7f52a1ed.jpg","credit":"Yahoo Sports","width":1200},"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit brokenews and link to the story page you took it from. Source headlines, story titles taken from a source headline, and quoted passages remain the property of their publishers and are quoted for comparison, not licensed onward.","terms":"https://www.brokenews.co/about#reuse"}