Winners and losers from NFL preseason Week 2: Mendoza's rude awakening

Week 2 of the NFL preseason has arrived, and with it, a new slate of exhibition games to help solidify roster projections. There are plenty of unsettled depth charts around the league, including QB battles in Cleveland and Las Vegas.

The team-wide outcomes don't really matter in the preseason, but how individuals perform does impact their status with a coach or GM. Whether it's fighting to become a starter or just to stay on the 53-man roster, these games make all the difference. Here's who won — and lost — the week.

Loser: Fernando Mendoza

The reigning No. 1 overall pick got his first preseason start for the Raiders. He completed 8-of-15 passes for 86 yards and one touchdown. He also, on his third pass of the game, gave up an 80-yard pick six on an ugly throw over the middle. Mendoza was out of sync, a half-beat too slow, virtually all night. Houston's defense, even beyond the starters, can be unforgiving.

Mendoza was able to recover and lead the Raiders on a scoring drive, but Aidan O'Connell looked significantly more comfortable once he subbed in. Given the amount of O'Connell slander that has permeated Las Vegas over the past couple years, that is not the best sign for Mendoza.

It's never wise to panic about your rookie quarterback two weeks into the preseason, but the vibes coming out of Raiders training camp haven't been the best. There's a vast difference between college and NFL, and while Mendoza appeared to be in total command of the offense at Indiana, he won't have the same talent and play-calling advantages in the NFL.

Winners: CJ Stroud and Marlin Klein

There is obviously much less uncertainty around the Texans' quarterback room, as C.J. Stroud is locked as the Week 1 starter. He played briefly on Thursday, completing 4-of-6 passes for 27 yards and converting twice on third down. This could be Stroud's lone preseason appearance, but given all the criticism he faced after Houston's playoffs flameout, it's nice to see him look calm, collected and in control of the offense, even if he's just running point.

Marlin Klein, Houston's second-round pick out of Michigan, hauled in 3-of-4 targets for 31 yards, which led all Texans receivers. This comes on the heels of a solid preseason debut against the Chargers, in which he also led Houston's receiving room with 31 yards (all from one explosive catch).

Coming into camp, it felt like Klein was destined to spend his first year buried on the depth chart behind more experienced tight ends like Dalton Schultz and Foster Moreau. While Schultz will almost certainly maintain his TE1 designation, if Klein keeps breaking through with big plays — and timely plays — he's going to give Texans O.C. Nick Caley reason to promote him.

Loser: Mike McDaniel

The Chargers looked quite overmatched in their 41-17 loss to the 49ers. Again, preseason results are meant to be taken with a hefty grain of salt, but the process matters more, and the process from Los Angeles — particularly on offense — was not great.

Mike McDaniel was the most prized O.C. candidate in the NFL this offseason. His Dolphins tenure fizzled out and ended on negative terms, but he built some of the greatest regular season offenses in recent memory around Tua Tagovailoa. The idea of McDaniel calling plays for Justin Herbert was naturally very appealing.

It still is, but Herbert went three-and-out on his lone drive Thursday. From there, Trey Lance led a sloppy procession of penalties and stunted drives, with the Chargers going 1-for-8 on third downs in the first half. DJ Uiagalelei was, to his credit, pretty sharp as the third-stringer, but the L.A. offense was not very successful overall. McDaniel is installing a new scheme in a new environment, and it's a very complicated, particular scheme. So he clearly has some work left to do.

Winner: De'Zhaun Stribling

De'Zhaun Stribling has led the 49ers in receiving yards in each of their first two preseason games. He did have a bad drop on Thursday, but caught 4-of-5 targets for 46 yards — all in the first quarter. He's lightning-quick and running sharp routes, flashing a strong early connection with Mac Jones in particular.

The receiver room in San Francisco has been an open-ended question all summer, even after the Deebo Samuel reunion. There's some real talent between Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, but there are also injury concerns, especially since tight end George Kittle seems to be perpetually beat-up.

Stribling, a second-round pick out of Ole Miss, has the sort of complementary skill set and over-the-top speed to carve out a nice role for himself next to the more physical Evans. We all watched Deebo struggle in Washington last season, so even in a more familiar offense, it's fair to question how much he has left in the tank. Buy your Stribling stock while it's still available.

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