Raiders rookie Mendoza struggles in preseason loss to 49ers

The Las Vegas Raiders concluded their preseason with an 18-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, a game that solidified veteran Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback and highlighted the ongoing development challenges for rookie first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The defeat at Allegiant Stadium dropped the Raiders to a 1-2 preseason record. Cousins started the game and led two scoring drives, both resulting in field goals by Matt Gay. He completed 8 of 11 passes for 51 yards before giving way to Mendoza in the third quarter. Mendoza, the No.