Raiders Crushed 45-17 by Patriots as No. 1 Pick Fernando Mendoza Makes NFL Debut, Going 6-for-8 for 48 Yards
Las Vegas is a city in Clark County, Nevada. The Las Vegas Raiders were crushed 45-17 on the road by the New England Patriots on Sunday, October 11, suffering their second loss of the season. According to USA Today and other outlets, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw for 374 yards and five total touchdowns (four passing), his best game of the season.
Raiders starter Kirk Cousins finished 19-of-28 passing for 243 yards and a touchdown before being pulled late. Fernando Mendoza, the 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick and 2025 Heisman Trophy winner, entered with 6:06 remaining in the fourth quarter to make his NFL regular-season debut. Mendoza's first snap was a handoff, and his first completion went to running back Dylan Laube for two yards; he then hit Ian Thomas for nine yards for his first first-down completion, finishing 6-for-8 for 48 yards as the Patriots played prevent defense with the game decided. With 2:42 left, Mendoza tried to convert a fourth-and-4 from the Patriots' 14-yard line but was hit and pushed out of bounds one yard short of the marker.
In the preseason, Mendoza completed 25 of 45 passes for 240 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Maye said last week that he had only met Mendoza once but had heard good things: "I really respect the way he speaks about his faith, handles the media and just tries to be himself."
The loss dropped the Raiders to 3-2, while the Patriots won their third straight.
(Reported by USA Today and Raiders Wire)
Source: USA Today、Raiders Wire
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 拉斯维加斯突袭者队头盔，All-Pro Reels 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）
