Raiders vs. Cardinals: Winners & Losers; Training Camp Report 17

LAS VEGAS, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders kicked off the 2026 NFL preseason a few hours ago by hosting the Arizona Cardinals here at Allegiant Stadium in a 27-14 loss.

There were several significant happenings in the contest relative to players, and we will break that down shortly, but before we dig into the winners and losers from a player standpoint, let’s look at some coaching and organizational issues that stood out.

Mark Davis, Tom Brady | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Organizationally

1. It is a new day in the desert, and as Tom Brady took the field with GM John Spytek, it marked a fresh start. This isn’t a Super Bowl team, but every decision those two men made this offseason has been tactical, deliberate, and made sense.

If this rebuild fails, and the odds are stacked against it, if the decision process continues on the trend in which it is, there won’t be any Monday morning quarterbacking from this reporter.

2. The Metropolitan Police Department here in Las Vegas does a truly magnificent job. Recently, Officer Austin Abdelnabi lost his life in the line of duty. It was classy and warranted that the franchise have a moment of silence to honor our fallen hero.

Coaching

1. Klint Kubiak called the plays like he was back in the Super Bowl, with ease. The opening drive lasted 10 plays and covered 68 yards, and the team looked polished and poised. Sure, it was a preseason game, but it was his first as a head coach, and he played it like a master.

2. Additionally, for a rookie coach, there are usually numerous logistical issues that come with the first-time head man role. Kubiak was born into the NFL, literally, with his dad as a player, then an assistant coach, then a head coach, and Kubiak followed. The game-day logistics were flawless, and I asked Kubiak about that.

Andrew Janocko | Darrell CraigHarris, On SI

"I thought it was smooth there. I thought our coaches did a good job communicating on the headset. The game itself, we have a lot to improve on. I was very happy with what our defense did in the second half on the third down after the first half. But there's a lot of things that we need to improve on."

3. On the aforementioned first drive, facing an important third-and-one, it was nice after last season to see the team line up in the I formation and actually run for a first down. On Fernando Mendoza’s second drive, the Raiders had a fourth and one that they converted as well. For years, Raider Nation has heard that this franchise will run the football; tonight, Kubiak proved it.

Ashton Jeanty | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

4. Kubiak had a lot of reasons to celebrate if he were still an offensive coordinator. He isn’t, so when asked about his leaders and the game, he quickly brought reality back to the conversation.

"Well, I think we lost by two scores, so we've got to get better there."

The Violator | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

5. Mendoza isn’t done yet. When asked how he plans to hand out reps at QB to the rookie in the final two preseason games, he made that point clear.

"We want to get him plenty of reps in the preseason. That was important for us to see him get lots of turns. And as these games go on, we're going to evaluate game-to-game, but he's a young man that needs experience and needs reps and we're going to get them to him."

Fernando Mendoza | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

6. One injury of note, and an explanation from the head coach on Maxx Crosby not playing.

"B-Jack [Brennan Jackson] had a foot, so we'll evaluate him tomorrow. And then, obviously, Maxx [Crosby] did not play, that was my decision. And I'll take your questions."

Players

1. No matter what happened tonight, the young man who had NFL executives raving, Fernando Mendoza, was the story of his first preseason game. He was 10/16 with one touchdown pass (to Jack Bech) and 0 interceptions. His quarterback rating (QBR) was an impressive 100. He was sacked once, and it was a great learning sack.

He isn’t in college anymore, and that one was on him. Not a big deal, or a red flag of any kind. There will be more of those this year. I truly believe that, in his heart, Kubiak was happy, but he wasn’t handing out his rookies' trophies tonight. He was asked afterward about Mendoza’s play.

"Yeah, there'll be some good some good lessons that we look forward to attacking with the tape with him. He knows you can't take a sack and those are things he's going to grow from."

2. Kirk Cousins looked exactly how you expected. He was 5/6 for 50 yards, one touchdown pass, and zero interceptions as well. His QBR was 141. Kubiak was happy with what Captain Kirk gave him and told me so after the game.

“Really happy with what the offense did in that first drive; Kirk [Cousins] leading us down the field.”

3. The first and second team defensive units were both unimpressive. In fairness, I thought the starting linebackers looked good, but the defensive backs and defensive line for both units struggled. I have no issues with rookies struggling, so don’t read too much into it. Kubiak was kind about his defensive backfield tonight, but honest.

"I just think we’ve got a lot of growth to do as a team. As a team, we've got a lot of growth to do, so starts tomorrow."

4. I was very impressed with Mike Washington Jr, the rookie RB from Arkansas, both as a runner, in the passing game, and as a kick returner. He had a special 53-yard run that showed both his speed and power. Someone tell the former Razorback that his new head coach is a fan of his.

"Pleased with what Mike [Washington Jr.]; Mike did some good things just like he practiced. I think he was the same player that we've seen in practice. Had a big run, just got to keep giving him more outs as preseason goes.”

5. Jordan Meredith, whom I projected to be in a battle for his spot on the 53-man roster with Will Putnam, had a penalty that won’t help his cause in a battle for a job. I expect more out of him at this point in his career, vying to back up Tyler Linderbaum.

6. Tommy “Freaking” Eichenberg had a devastating penalty. That was a mistake at this point in his career; he can’t make it. He didn’t play poorly after that, but that mistake, early in the game for a veteran, was big.

7. His fellow “Berg,” Cody Lindenberg, played terrific. He made his reads, flipped his hips, and lent assistance when it wasn’t his play, and showed significant improvement in using his hands to shed blockers.

8. DE Patrick Johnson, the sixth-year player out of Tulane, flashed for the first time tonight on several occasions. He hasn’t had a bad camp, but as a sixth-year player, he has played as I expected. Tonight, he exceeded that.

9. The FAA called and wants to register the leg of AJ Cole.

AJ Cole,Alex Ward | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

10. DE Cian Slone had a sack in which he looked like the Incredible Hulk, taking out the Cardinals' QB. My last projection of the 53-man roster had him making it, and he did nothing tonight to move me off that opinion.

11. It was terrific to see WR Jack Bech have his best performance of his NFL career tonight. Game, practice - it doesn’t matter. Tonight was his best, and he got a touchdown from Mendoza out of it. Kubiak was ecstatic about his sophomore wideout.

“He stepped up, had an excellent game. He really has had an impressive camp as far as just being a guy that's continually straining and getting better and hasn't had all the ops in practice and then he came out tonight and was ready to roll. So, I was happy but not surprised with what he did tonight."

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