Fernando Mendoza did not think he would throw a pick-six in the preseason; he’s made a note of that on his LinkedIn. Those rooting for him were also in for a shock, as the rookie struggled vs the Houston Texans. FOX Radio’s Rod Parker believes it’s over for Mendoza this year.

“This just sounds to me like they’re convinced Mendoza’s gonna be a bust,” Parker said on August 21. “I’m gonna be on the record that’s where I’m at that he’s gonna be a bust ultimately, and they don’t have the confidence that this guy who took Indiana to a national championship and played some of the best college football quarterbacking that we had seen right and did the unthinkable should be that guy.”

In the Texans game, Mendoza initially moved the offense with a 22-yard completion to Jalen Nailor on second-and-15, but the rookie quickly lost the momentum. On the ensuing first-and-10, Wade Woodaz intercepted his pass and sprinted 80 yards for a pick-six, giving Houston a 14-0 lead. He finished the game going 8-of-15 for only 86 yards, and a brutally memorable pick-six.

“I came away with that there’s a lot more learning to do, and that although maybe you had a lot of success at another level, this level is a whole step further,” Mendoza said.

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Mendoza had maintained that he was at the “bottom of the totem pole” at the start of his NFL journey. But he should have moved up a couple of places by now. It looked like he did in the first preseason game vs the Cardinals, where he scored a touchdown. But head coach Klint Kubiak is hesitating to give Mendoza the go-ahead this season; he hasn’t named his Week 1 starter yet.

“We’ve got another week of playing. I don’t want anyone to be comfortable in their job,” Kubiak said. “It should always be that way for all positions. So, let’s keep going forward.”

He also had a blunt reply when asked what Mendoza needs now.

“Reps. I know that’s the short answer, but that’s the truth. Not trying to be a smart alec there; it’s the truth.”

“It’s staying early, leaving late,” Kubiak said, when asked about what if Mendoza doesn’t get those reps in the season. “It’s using some of our technological tools at your disposal, but it’s really a lot of Coach Sullivan spending some early mornings and long nights with Fernando and Aiden. You can build in young guys’ reps into your practices. There are things you can do. It’s never as good as getting all the reps in practice, but you do the best that you can with what you’ve got.”

Mendoza hasn’t gotten enough first-team reps during practice so far, which have instead gone to veteran and presumed QB1, Kirk Cousins. But there has been some improvement in Mendoza in the second-team, especially in how he commands the offense. But the big guys are still a challenge for him, that much is clear.