The Las Vegas Raiders are currently 3-2 on the season, dropping their last two games to the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots. Their strong 3-0 start is gone, and Kirk Cousins and the Raiders' offense have struggled a bit the last two weeks.

Brock Bowers is still incredible, but the running game and the wide receiver room are not doing so well. During their embarrassing loss to the Patriots in Week 5, Fernando Mendoza got his first NFL action and looked fine while doing so.

Now, with the Raiders set to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, there is a clear window to make a change with Mendoza this season. ESPN's Ben Solak is predicting that, after one more week, Cousins will be benched for Mendoza, handing the keys to the offense over to the No. 1 overall draft pick.

Fernando Mendoza predicted to take over for Raiders after one more week

"I think ... Kirk Cousins will get one more start before Fernando Mendoza time," Solak predicts. "... To quickly pivot from Cousins to Mendoza might feel like an early abandonment plan. But I would argue that the pivot is justified."

With the Raiders currently 3-2 in the regular season, and only 1.5 games back of the AFC West lead, and with the Los Angeles Chargers collapsing, and the Denver Broncos not looking nearly as dominant as they did a year ago, the Raiders have a path to the playoffs.

Getting Mendoza onto the field early in the season, and giving him time to warm up before the second half of the year, when a playoff push might actually be in the cards for this solid Raiders team, would make a lot of sense.

Solak is predicting that the Raiders will hand the keys to the offense to Mendoza after just one more week of Cousins starting for the team. While a Week 7 starting debut against the Los Angeles Rams isn't going to be easy, it is a home game for his NFL starting debut.

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If the Raiders keep Cousins as the starter for one more week, that means Mendoza's first chance to start would be Week 7 against the Rams at home, then Week 8 against the New York Jets on the road.

After that? It's three straight tough matchups against the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Denver Broncos. The Cleveland Browns are a Week 12 matchup worth considering for his first start, but that's very deep into the regular season.

While the Raiders might justify waiting to roll with Mendoza, so long as Cousins isn't playing horribly, the appeal of turning to Mendoza in Week 6 or 7, giving him plenty of time to gel with this offense before a brutal stretch, is very strong.

Solak is predicting Cousins will start Week 6 vs. the Bills, and then Mendoza will take over. He got his first taste of NFL action in Week 5, and after one more week on the bench, Mendoza might be looking at his first start in the NFL in Week 7.

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