Mendoza Looks to Build on Strong Debut Against Texans Tonight
Preseason football rolls on tonight with two games featuring plenty to watch: the Las Vegas Raiders visiting the Houston Texans, and the San Francisco 49ers heading south to face the Los Angeles Chargers, both squads coming off joint practices earlier in the week that offered a preview of what to expect.
Raiders at Texans, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
All eyes will again be on Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, who makes his second preseason start after an encouraging debut against the Arizona Cardinals last week. Mendoza completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in that outing, leading a scoring drive with the second-team offense and prompting head coach Klint Kubiak to call him an "ascending player."
Mendoza got extensive work with the Raiders' first-team offense for the first time during Tuesday's joint practice against Houston's defense, throwing a red-zone interception to Texans safety Jalen Pitre in the process. Kubiak has said Mendoza will get plenty of reps again tonight, though he stopped short of confirming whether the rookie will take snaps with the starters once the game begins.
Houston enters as a step up in competition from Arizona, with the Texans fielding one of the league's most disciplined defensive units. Mendoza has continued to lean on veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and minority owner Tom Brady for guidance throughout camp, and has been known to immediately review film of his own performances after each outing, a habit teammates have credited to his rapid development.
49ers at Chargers, 10 p.m. ET on NFL Network
The second game of the night follows Tuesday's joint practice between the two teams at the Chargers' facility in El Segundo, California, which head coach Jim Harbaugh described as a chance to get meaningful work in before tonight's matchup. Harbaugh said both teams plan to play their starters for a single series before turning things over to backups for the remainder of the game, a plan he said was coordinated closely with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
Harbaugh, whose offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel previously held the same role in San Francisco, called Tuesday's session a chance to get significant 11-on-11 work against a team he described as full of respected players. He specifically noted looking forward to meeting 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in person for the first time.
On the defensive side, several 49ers linemen generated pressure during Tuesday's practice, including rookie edge rusher Romello Height and undrafted free agent James Thompson Jr., who has quietly impressed throughout training camp. San Francisco also made a pair of roster moves ahead of the session, signing defensive lineman Evan Anderson and waiving injured lineman Titus Leo.
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