Fernando Mendoza will make his first-ever start in the NFL for the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
Amid the excitement of making his debut start, there will surely be some nerves for the 22-year-old, as he prepares to go up against the reigning Super Bowl champions. This Seattle defense has even earned the ‘Dark Side’ nickname – that’s how good they have been over the last 12 months.
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The Raiders have not exactly been firing on all cylinders since the opening three games of the season. Following their three-game winning start to the year, Klint Kubiak’s team have gone 1-5 in their following six games.
History will be against Mendoza on Sunday, with quarterbacks making their debut against a Mike Macdonald defense not faring very well.
Mendoza has already taken some snaps in the NFL, following his cameo appearance in the emphatic defeat against the New England Patriots last month. Taking snaps in a game where the result has already been decided is one thing, but being in from the start is a totally different prospect.
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ESPN’s beat reporter for the Seahawks, Brady Henderson, shared a statistic showing how debutant quarterbacks have fared against Macdonald’s Seahawks. Mendoza will be the fifth quarterback to make his starting debut against Seattle since Macdonald was hired as the head coach.
