Mendoza practices as Raiders starter, draws the NFL's No. 1 defense Sunday

Fernando Mendoza took the practice field as the Raiders' starting quarterback for the first time Wednesday, and the reward waiting for him Sunday is the best defense in football. The team made it official this week, with general manager John Spytek saying the rookie "passed every test" since he walked into the building.

The ledger on this matchup is ugly. Seattle allows 244.2 yards a game, fewest in the league, and 155.1 through the air, also first. Per the Raiders' own game preview, the Seahawks have surrendered 2,198 total yards all season at 4.1 per play, with 13 takeaways and pressure on 27 percent of dropbacks. Las Vegas is 4-5, has lost five of its last six, and runs for 71.3 yards a game, 31st in the NFL. The defense that is supposed to buy a rookie time ranks last in yards and last in points allowed.

Mendoza's professional resume is one fourth quarter: 6 of 8 for 48 yards in the October 11 loss at New England. Klint Kubiak is not pretending otherwise. "We have to prepare him and give him a lot of reps to get him comfortable," the coach said, while setting the bar anyway: "Our expectation is for him to lead the offense."

The rookie spent much of his first turn at the podium thanking the man he replaced. "I really truly from the bottom of my heart want to thank Kirk and the entire Cousins family," Mendoza said, as KTNV's Alex Eschelman reported, calling the job "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Brock Bowers offered the standard teammate line: "Everyone has faith in him."

Wednesday's injury report was the week's one piece of good news. Nobody in silver and black missed practice. Thomas Booker (ankle), Folorunso Fatukasi (shoulder and elbow) and Trey Zuhn (concussion) were limited, Ian Thomas (ankle) went full. Seattle's list runs fifteen deep. Sam Darnold (ribs, quadriceps) did not practice, so Drew Lock starts again on an oblique and a right elbow, and Charles Cross, Quenton Nelson, Leonard Williams, Brandon Pili and Jarran Reed all sat out.

Opinion, clearly labelled: drawing the league's stingiest defense for a first start is bad luck and cheap information at the same time. Better to find out what Mendoza is now, with a lost season already priced in, than against something soft in December. Watch Thursday and Friday for Zuhn's concussion status and for whether Williams gets back on the field. Kickoff is Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Pacific at Allegiant Stadium, on CBS.