Mop-up duty for Mendoza
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If Fernando Mendoza showed any nerves in his cameo of an NFL debut on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, they dissipated very quickly.
By the end of his lone drive late in the Raiders’ ugly 45-17 loss to the New England Patriots, Mendoza was loose enough to be ad-libbing in the huddle.
It wasn’t how the No. 1 pick in the draft pictured his first NFL experience. But he made the most of the opportunity.
- Adam Hill
‘We weren’t ready to go’
The Raiders might’ve showed up Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, to play football again, but the swagger with which they started their season didn’t come with them. Here are three takeaways from the lopsided loss to the Patriots.
Running in circles
Considered questionable to play against the Patriots with a flare-up of foot pain, Ashton Jeanty wound up accounting for 10 carries and 27 rushing yards. The second-year running back hasn’t eclipsed the 100-yard mark since the season opener, totaling 189 yards on 65 carries (2.9 yards per carry) the past four games.
Report card
Klint Kubiak’s team was dominated on both sides of the ball from scheme to execution. It wasn’t pretty. Here’s how the Raiders graded out in the blowout loss.
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Vegas Sports Sunday
In this episode of Vegas Sports Sunday, the Review-Journal's Dominic Lavoie and Heidi Fang recap the Raiders' loss to the Patriots, the latest in possible NBA expansion to Las Vegas, UNLV athletics and more.
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