Category: NFL

Klint Kubiak is keeping his cards close to his chest.

The preseason is now in the history books for the Las Vegas Raiders, but the starting quarterback in Week 1 remains a mystery for the silver-and-black.

Kubiak declined to name his QB1 in the immediate aftermath of the preseason finale. However, the rookie head coach might've provided a hint as to who has the edge in the battle between Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza.

“He needs another three preseason games,” Kubiak said of Mendoza during his post game press conference. “You know, all those rookies do. And now that the season’s starting, you know, the practice reps get smaller, and that’s just life. But, us as coaches, we gotta get them ready to play, keep developing them.”

GRADES: Fernando Mendoza shaky in preseason finale

In other words, Mendoza remains a work-in-progress. The rookie tossed his second interception in as many games, completing just 7-of-14 pass attempts for 57 yards in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Mendoza's preseason was far from easy, highlighting the difference between the college and the professional ranks.

“The NFL is really tough," Mendoza said. "There is a big jump going from college to the NFL, and the speed in, there's so many different aspects. And the NFL is a tough business and it's a challenge. I look forward to taking head on with my teammates, and I'm excited for the future."

LAS VEGAS — The Raiders wrapped up their preseason Thursday with an 18-12 loss to the 49ers.

They finished the preseason with a 1-2 record and now set their sights on their season opener against the Dolphins on Sept. 13.

Here are some takeaways from a sluggish preseason finale:

Quarterback competition may have been settled

With Kirk Cousins opening the game and directing two field-goal drives before giving way to Fernando Mendoza, the Raiders got one final side-by-side look at the two quarterbacks ostensibly competing for the starting job.

How genuine that competition ever was remains open to debate. But until coach Klint Kubiak makes an official declaration, Mendoza technically remains in the running to start the season opener.

Practically speaking, however, every logical sign points to Cousins.

The Raiders brought in the veteran specifically to buy Mendoza time and to avoid the mistake so many teams have made by rushing a young quarterback onto the field before he is ready. Mendoza may be the future face of the franchise, but Cousins was signed to protect that future while stabilizing the present.

If there were any lingering questions about the pecking order, Cousins may have answered them Thursday night.

He was hardly spectacular. In fact, it is worth noting that the Raiders’ first-team offense failed to reach the end zone on either of his two possessions against a defense made up largely of 49ers backups. That is not exactly the emphatic closing argument Cousins might have hoped to make.

But he was steady, efficient and, most importantly, mistake-free. Cousins was 8-of-11 passing for 51 yards, moved the Raiders into scoring position twice and avoided the kind of damaging play that can swing a game — and a quarterback competition.

Mendoza’s night was considerably more uneven.

For the second consecutive game, the rookie was intercepted, this time sailing a pass to Jalen Nailor over the middle. Nailor climbed to make the catch, but the ball glanced off his hands and into the arms of 49ers linebacker Tatum Bethune.

The throw was high, but it was not entirely on Mendoza. Nailor had a chance to make the play, just as Mendoza had to operate under increasingly difficult circumstances once the Raiders began turning to their backups in the second quarter.

The offensive line offered him little protection. Mendoza was sacked twice in the second half and spent much of the night throwing with defenders closing around him. That pressure helped explain his ragged first-half numbers — 5-of-9 passing for only 38 yards — and made it difficult for him to establish any rhythm.

Mendoza finished 7-of-14 passing for 57 yards.

Still, quarterback competitions are often decided as much by who avoids losing the job as by who emphatically wins it. Cousins provided calm and control. Mendoza supplied another reminder that, for all his promise, he remains a rookie navigating the mistakes and growing pains the Raiders signed Cousins to absorb.

Thursday night did not necessarily reveal which quarterback has the brighter future.

It may have confirmed which one is better prepared for the present.

Mike Washington Jr. continues to make his case

With the Raiders still holding their breath over Ashton Jeanty’s sprained ankle, Mike Washington Jr. continued doing everything he could to lower their anxiety.

The fourth-round rookie out of Arkansas punctuated an impressive preseason Thursday night by rushing eight times for 49 yards — an average of 6.1 yards per carry. That pushed his preseason total to 168 yards on 23 attempts, a striking 7.3 yards per carry.

Yes, much of Washington’s production came against backups. But eventually, production demands attention, regardless of who is lined up on the other side. Washington repeatedly displayed the combination of size, burst and power that persuaded the Raiders to invest a fourth-round pick in him.

More importantly, his success appears transferable. Washington runs decisively, gets downhill quickly and has enough speed to turn a crease into a substantial gain. He has not merely collected yards; he has consistently looked like an NFL running back.

That matters considerably while Jeanty’s immediate availability remains uncertain.

Washington cannot replace everything Jeanty brings to the offense, nor should the Raiders expect him to. But if Jeanty misses time, Washington has shown enough to give them confidence he can handle a meaningful portion of the workload without forcing the offense to dramatically change course.

In the short term, he looks capable of serving as a sturdy replacement. In the bigger picture, Washington may establish himself as something even more valuable: a powerful, complementary running mate who can lessen Jeanty’s workload and give the Raiders a potentially formidable one-two punch for years to come.

Wide receivers remain missing in action

Kubiak spent much of the preseason prodding the Raiders’ wide receivers, challenging them to create separation, execute their assignments and establish themselves as dependable pieces of the offense.

Against the 49ers, they once again failed to answer the call.

The Raiders’ receivers were largely invisible Thursday night. They did not consistently separate from coverage, make their presence felt or produce the kind of explosive play that might have changed the complexion of the offense.

Or Kubiak’s evaluation of the room.

It has become a recurring theme throughout the offseason.

Yes, the Raiders operated with vanilla game plans designed to reveal very little about what Kubiak intends to run during the regular season. And inconsistent quarterback play and shaky pass protection did the receivers few favors. But basic route-running, separation and playmaking ability should still emerge, regardless of how much of the playbook is being used.

Instead, the Raiders reached the end of the preseason without anyone emphatically seizing a prominent role.

That does not mean the receivers are incapable of contributing once Kubiak unveils the full offense. But after repeatedly challenging the group to step forward, the coach received few convincing answers. At some point, continued invisibility becomes more than a preseason footnote. It becomes a roster concern.

Fortunately for the Raiders, they hold the first waiver claim after finishing last season with the NFL’s worst record. That gives them the first opportunity to claim any eligible player waived during the league-wide roster reduction.

Given what their wide receivers showed — or failed to show — this summer, it would hardly be surprising if the Raiders used that advantage to add another option on cutdown day.

Sean McVay has not officially announced who the Los Angeles Rams backup quarterback will be for the 2026 season, but on Thursday night he told the world with his actions. 

Rookie Ty Simpson got the start against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Rams’ preseason finale at SoFi Stadium, while Stetson Bennett IV remained on the sidelines. For a coach who treats preseason snaps for important players like precious cargo, the message was difficult to ignore: Bennett appears to have secured the job backing up reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.

McVay has made a career out of bubble-wrapping players he expects to matter when the games count. So after Bennett strengthened his case by leading four scoring drives and rushing for two touchdowns in Saturday’s 34-0 demolition of the New Orleans Saints, keeping him in street clothes Thursday felt less like another chapter in the competition and more like the punctuation mark at the end of the sentence. 

Simpson entered Thursday having completed 29 of 37 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns during the preseason, including a dazzling 21-of-25 debut against Kansas City. Bennett finished his preseason work 23 of 37 for 219 yards through the air while adding two rushing touchdowns.

Simpson’s start also opened the door for Matthew Caldwell to finally see the field. The undrafted rookie finished his college career at Texas after previous stops at Troy, Gardner-Webb and Jacksonville State, throwing for 3,135 yards and 22 touchdowns across 32 games. Caldwell went undrafted in April before signing with the Rams and could become a practice-squad developmental option.

McVay still hasn’t publicly named his quarterback depth chart.

But sometimes a coach says more with the players he doesn’t put on the field, than the ones he does.

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LAS VEGAS — And with that, the Raiders and 49ers go their separate ways.

They will meet again in Week 9, but they leave the preseason headed toward vastly different destinations, burdened by vastly different expectations.

The 49ers are pursuing a Super Bowl. The Raiders are searching for the foundation upon which they might eventually build one.

That difference was never more apparent than Thursday night, when the two former Bay Area neighbors met in each team’s preseason finale against the glistening backdrop of the Las Vegas Strip, visible just beyond the lanai doors of Allegiant Stadium.

It was an appropriate setting.

Las Vegas is built on risk, chance and the uncertainty of what comes next. And that provided an especially fitting metaphor for two teams making decidedly different wagers on the season ahead.

While the 49ers protected nearly every player essential to their championship hopes, the Raiders played most of their starters.

It’s why Kirk Cousins opened the game at quarterback, lined up behind the Raiders’ starting offensive line, and why Mac Jones, not Brock Purdy, was under center to start the game alongside the 49ers’ second-string offensive line.

For one team, the risk of playing key players outweighed whatever might have been gained.

For the other, there was still too much work to be done and too many questions to be answered.

The 49ers did not need one more preseason game to determine who they are. The Raiders are still very much trying to figure out their identity.

The 49ers enter the season carrying the weight of championship expectations while trying to steer through storm clouds that began gathering before the games even counted.

Kyle Shanahan’s car accident and Jed York’s arrest created an unsettling backdrop around the organization. On the field, Nick Bosa had not practiced since Aug. 3, while Christian McCaffrey missed time because of tightness. Injuries have already complicated the journey, creating questions about whether the 49ers can remain intact long enough to reach the destination they have spent years chasing.

Taken individually, each development might be manageable. Together, they have created an unmistakable sense of turbulence around a franchise that entered the season expecting stability and carrying Super Bowl-or-bust expectations.

There will be concern. There will be scrutiny. There may even be moments when the challenges seem greater than the 49ers anticipated.

But there can be no excuses.

Not anymore.

The 49ers have been knocking on the door long enough. They have assembled one of the NFL’s most talented rosters, played in two Super Bowls under Shanahan and come painfully close to winning both. They have suffered through enough near-misses to understand how quickly a championship window can begin to close.

At some point, potential has to become achievement. Close has to become complete.

For all the talk about the character, leadership and standard the 49ers represent, those qualities must now lead them through the turbulence. A standard matters most when it is tested. Leadership is most valuable when circumstances threaten to pull a team off course.

This is the moment for the 49ers’ strongest voices — and most established players — to steady the room.

Their season cannot become a daily accounting of who is unavailable or what went wrong. The injuries are real, and their impact cannot be dismissed. But every team eventually encounters adversity. The championship teams are the ones that absorb it without allowing it to alter their destination.

The 49ers’ mission is clear: survive the early storms, remain within striking distance and position themselves to finish the job.

The Raiders’ journey is far less certain.

They are beginning again with a new head coach, a reshaped roster and the uncertainty that accompanies any legitimate rebuild. They are trying to determine which players will still be part of the operation when its most important pieces are finally in place.

More immediately, they must decide when Fernando Mendoza should take control of it.

As the first overall pick in the NFL draft, Mendoza represents more than another young quarterback trying to earn playing time. He is the future face of the franchise and, the Raiders hope, the player capable of finally bringing stability to a position that has lacked it for far too long.

The question is not whether the Raiders will eventually turn the offense over to him.

It is when.

There is value in allowing Mendoza to watch, learn and develop behind Cousins. There is also value in letting him experience the speed, pressure and consequences of the NFL for himself. No amount of sideline observation can completely replicate the education that comes from standing in the pocket with a defense bearing down on you.

That leaves the Raiders facing a delicate balancing act.

They cannot rush Mendoza simply to satisfy the impatience that naturally accompanies the arrival of a No. 1 pick. But they also cannot allow caution to become an excuse for delaying the inevitable. At some point, protecting his development will require letting him play.

The Raiders must be honest about the team surrounding him. Can the offensive line protect him? Are there enough dependable receivers to support him? Is the running game strong enough to keep every third down from becoming his burden?

These are not merely questions about whether Mendoza is ready for the NFL. They are questions about whether the Raiders are ready for Mendoza.

The preseason finale offered a snapshot of where both organizations stand.

The 49ers could afford to hide their most important players away because their identity is established and their objective is unmistakable.

The Raiders needed their starters on the field because evaluation remains part of nearly everything they do. Jobs are being won. Roles are being defined. A depth chart is still being shaped around a long-term vision that remains under construction.

Now they separate.

The 49ers move forward with the urgency of a team whose opportunity is here and may not remain open forever. The Raiders move forward with the patience, and inevitable growing pains, of a team trying to create an opportunity of its own.

Then, in Week 9, their paths will cross again.

The Raiders will return to the Bay Area for the first time since leaving Oakland, bringing an emotional undercurrent that will make the game about more than the standings. By then, the questions surrounding both teams may have very different answers.

Will the 49ers have weathered the storms and emerged as the championship contender they expect to be? Or will injuries and accumulated frustration have pushed another promising season toward the edge?

Will the Raiders still lean on Cousins or will Mendoza have assumed control of the franchise’s future? Will they look like a team making real progress or one still searching for its footing?

Thursday night marked the end of the preseason and the beginning of their separate journeys.

Week 9 will reveal just how far each has traveled.

Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders received the bulk of the playing time at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns as they battled for the starting job across the team's first two preseason games.

In preseason Week 3, it was Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green's team to run the show after Todd Monken named Watson Cleveland's starter.

Gabriel, a third-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft, was granted the chance to start. It was a critical opportunity for the 25-year-old, who had struggled in mop-up duty across his first two preseason contests.

Gabriel capitalized on the chance afforded to him. He led the Browns offense to 27 points while demonstrating great rhythm and accuracy across one half of action. Entering Thursday's action, Cleveland had only scored 17 total points across its previous two preseason games.

Here's more to know about Gabriel's outing against the Patriots, including a grade for his performance.

San Francisco 49ersowner Jed York was arrested in Ohio last weekend for allegedly making an arrangement "to have sexual activity" with a woman "in exchange for $140."

San Francisco general manager John Lynch addressed York's situation during an in-game interview with CBS during the 49ers' final preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada.

"Obviously a difficult situation. You know, I have so much love and respect for the York family, for Jed, for Danielle, John, and Denise and Jenna and Mara − they've just been tremendous to me and my family," Lynch said. "I thought Kyle said it well. It's a real personal situation. We're going to leave it as such."

Lynch echoed head coach Kyle Shanahan, who also told reporters it was "personal" after San Francisco's Aug. 25 practice.

York reached a plea deal that saw his charges of "engaging in prostitution" – a misdemeanor – reduced to disorderly conduct misdemeanor charges. Additionally, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possessing criminal tools.

The NFL is looking into potential punishment for York, reviewing the matter under terms of its personal conduct policy, which states a "higher standard" for owners.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 49ers GM John Lynch calls Jed York arrest 'a real personal situation'