Raiders emerge from preseason finale against 49ers with clarity and difficult decisions alike

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LAS VEGAS—Outside of winning, the goal for the Las Vegas Raiders in this final preseason game was simple: find solutions.

With many positional battles coming down to the final days of the preseason, this marked the last opportunity for players to prove just where they fit into the Raiders’ plans for 2026. Everything from starting jobs to roster spots was on the line, forcing the Raiders to leave everything out on the field.

While the Raiders would come out on the losing end of an 18-12 kicking battle against the San Francisco 49ers, they were able to get some questions answered about themselves.

First off, Klint Kubiak poured cold water on the idea of naming a starting quarterback for Week One. However, the performances from the game against San Francisco would suggest what the decision will be.

Kirk Cousins put together a performance that Fernando Mendoza described as “ruthlessly efficient,” going 8-for-11 with 51 passing yards. Meanwhile, Mendoza himself ended up struggling with a 7-for-14 line for 57 yards. The first overall pick was also charged with an interception that deflected off the hands of Jalen Nailor to 49ers linebacker Tatum Bethune and two sacks.

Even thought it continued the trend of up-and-down postseason outings for Mendoza, even he acknowledges that he is not yet a finished product.

“I would love unlimited games for development,” Mendoza answered in the postgame press conference in response to Kubiak saying he wished there were three more preseason games to keep getting reps in.

“Evidently, there is a toll that takes on the body, but my body feels great. However, I need to respect my other teammates for laying their body out on the line every single play like I try to do. It’s sometimes a little bit more situational in my position, but the more reps and the more games would be fantastic. If there were three more preseason games that I could do, I would do them.”

Sure, the struggles of Mendoza can come off as concerning but, at the end of the day, he is still a rookie adjusting to life at the NFL level. Many a NFL team have been burned before by the pressure of starting a rookie quarterback before they were ready, and it only leads to stunted development and setting all parties involved back. The Raiders built the infrastructure they have in large part to avoid making such a mistake, and that decision appears to be paying dividends on at least some level.

Right now, Cousins looks the part of the quarterback most likely to help the Raiders out at the start of the season and stabilize things early on, and not only is that perfectly fine, but it is arguably to be expected.

“Kirk’s been in this league for a while, so he knows the ins and outs. He plays with anticipation, he gets guys the ball,” said Nailor, who received reps with both Cousins and Mendoza throughout the preseason.

“Fernando, he’s still learning. That’s the biggest thing for him. He’s still learning the offense, learning the game speed of the NFL and he’s just steady growing. Both quarterbacks are very good.”

On a better note for the rookies, Mike Washington has certainly earned himself the benefit of the doubt if Ashton Jeanty has to miss any time.

The fourth-round rookie running back has been a revelation throughout training camp and the preseason, and he did not miss a beat in this game. Washington lead the Raiders again in rushing yards with 49 on eight carries, including some key runs on the right side despite the team rotating Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers in at guard. The conversation has now shifted towards Washington forming a one-two punch with Jeanty out of the backfield, which can only aid in the second-year back’s recovery when the Raiders get him back on the field.

“Really slowing the game down,” Washington stated about how Jeanty helped him during training camp that helped him prepare for this opportunity. “Whether it’s the play calls, reading the defenses, a bunch of stuff. I could go on and on about what Ashton has taught me, but I feel like the most valuable things were, play by play, I gained my head, not sitting in a moment for too long.”

Another point of emphasis was on the defense, which has found itself embroiled in a fair number of players making their cases.

While the first-team defense has been consistent for much of training camp, Treydan Stukes was named as one of the starters prior to the game. Stukes would finish with three tackles on the game and come off the field with the rest of the starters, while Isaiah Pola-Mao would get playing time with the reserves. Kubiak put Stukes in that position due to him being around the ball, and that role is likely expected to increase as the regular season begins.

“It was a really good experience,” Stukes said playing with the starters. “It was really good to be alongside those guys. Some really good players and I just want to keep getting better, and I got a chance to do that today.”

More on the defensive line, the competition for roster spots continued to heat up.

Despite a deep edge rusher room, Patrick Johnson has made matters difficult for the Raiders to keep him off the 53-man roster. He and Cian Slone have been in competition for what will likely be the final roster spot available on the edge. Johnson was able to make key plays on special teams while also recording a tackle for loss on 49ers running back Jordan James on a third-and-one, continuing to string together impressive performances.

“I know my confidence is there,” Johnson said. “I know I’m good enough to be able to make plays at this level and I’ve been in the league for six years now, so I know I can do it.”

With third-round rookie Keyron Crawford leaving the game early due to an ankle injury, a roster spot may have opened up, but Johnson deserves to be acknowledged on the grounds of his own merits.

Seventh-round rookie Brandon Cleveland was another player who helped his case, notching a team-high five tackles and two tackles for loss in his best outing to date. Similar to Johnson, Cleveland finds himself in a tight numbers game at defensive tackle, but it was a strong impression at the right time for a player who needed to show that he can make plays happen at the NFL level.

However, as has always been the case in each preseason game, Kubiak has come away with lessons to be learned moving forward.

“We didn’t score,” Kubiak said bluntly about what needs to improve. “Receivers, running backs, tight ends, all around, we got to find ways to get balls in the end zone.”

The next practices for the Raiders will not only be much smaller with the 53-man roster cutoff due on Sunday, but also more urgent than before.

All of this is critical because, the next time the Raiders take the field at Allegiant Stadium, the games will count.

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