After winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Indiana Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 season that culminated in a historic National Championship, Fernando Mendoza is set to begin his NFL career with high expectations. Mendoza was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft over two weeks ago, and the Hoosier gunslinger is already garnering plenty of hype.
Many fans and analysts out there are expecting Mendoza to make an immediate impact with the Raiders, and he is already among the favorites to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year next season.
Las Vegas owner Mark Davis sees Fernando Mendoza as the man to rescue the Raiders
It remains to be seen whether or not he officially ends up being Las Vegas' starting QB in Week 1, but he figures to get every available opportunity to earn the starting job. It's clear that the Raiders are building their franchise around Mendoza, and while they don't want to rush his development, it wouldn't be surprising to see Mendoza lead the team out of the tunnel and start in Week 1.
Adjusting to life in the NFL is tough on any young quarterback, and Mendoza's first season as a Raider is even tougher when looking at Las Vegas' schedule.
Fernando Mendoza faces a tough schedule in his first NFL season
The full NFL schedule for all 32 teams is set to be released this coming Thursday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. While the exact schedules are not yet known, we do know the list of opponents for each team - we just don't know when they will happen yet.
Mendoza and the Raiders have a tough draw, as their strength of schedule is among the toughest in the league.
On Monday, the NFL released each team's strength of schedule heading into the 2026 season. The rankings are based on the winning percentages from last season of each team's opponents.
Based on that criteria, the Raiders come in with the 7th-toughest schedule among the NFL's 32 teams. Las Vegas' list of 2026 opponents posted a winning percentage of .529 last season.
Before the full schedule is released, take a look at each team's strength of schedule for 2026. 👀
— NFL (@NFL) May 11, 2026
📺: NFL Schedule Release - Thursday at 8pm ET on ESPN/NFLN pic.twitter.com/eChBp3QMVa
The Raiders compete in a tough AFC West division that features the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Chargers. All six of those divisional matchups (three at home and three on the road) will present many challenges for the Raiders next season.
In addition to battling AFC West competition, Las Vegas' 2026 schedule features matchups against every team in the AFC East and NFC West, as well as meetings with the New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans.
Las Vegas' full list of 2026 opponents can be found below:
Home and Away: Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers
Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans
Away: Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers
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