HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Raiders' offensive line is far from proven, no wide receiver has emerged as a true No. 1 and a rookie could be the starting running back entering the season.
Probably not the ideal situation to start a first-year quarterback, but players drafted first overall — as Fernando Mendoza was — usually join a team with a lot more questions than answers.
And there are plenty with Las Vegas.
Could that be a factor for when Raiders coaches decide to start Mendoza? He likely will be the backup to Kirk Cousins when the season opens Sept. 13 against Miami.
“They’ve all got to get ready,” coach Klint Kubiak said. "Whoever is playing quarterback for us, it’s a team thing. It’s not the QB playing well and everyone else is not or the other way around.”
The Raiders' offense last season was statistically the worst in the NFL. Las Vegas' averages of 14.2 points and 245.2 yards per game were each last in the league.
It didn't help that the Raiders' offensive line also was statistically at the bottom, but management hopes that is no longer the case. The club signed three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum to the richest contract ever for an interior offensive lineman. Kolton Miller, who missed all but four games last season because of an ankle injury, is one of the league's best left tackles.
But how much the Raiders improve up front remains a question, particularly at right guard where Jackson Powers-Johnson is competing with Caleb Rogers for the starting role.
Also questionable is how the receiving corps will perform even without a clear-cut first option. Kubiak criticized the receivers after Thursday's 22-20 preseason victory at Houston.
“When you go out and you have trouble with your assignments, I’m going to have an opinion about it, and it’s not just them,” Kubiak said Tuesday. "We’ve had plenty of other guys that have got to step up. A lot of young guys, and then guys that we’re counting on in that receiver room.”
Now there's also the significant question at running back after second-year starter Ashton Jeanty went down with an injury in practice Sunday. He was unable to put pressure on his right leg as he was helped off the field, and the Raiders have been quiet about his prognosis.
Rookie Mike Washington Jr., drafted in the fourth round, is taking first-team snaps in practice. He also has performed well enough in training camp that he was getting some of those repetitions even when Jeanty was healthy.
So the Raiders have some decisions to make, most notably at quarterback and when to turn the offense over to Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner last year at Indiana. It seems like a matter of time before Mendoza takes over, and Kubiak continues to insist it's an ongoing competition even with Cousins still quarterbacking the starting offense in practice.
But as Kubiak said, the decision on when to play Mendoza will depend on the quarterback and not the offense around him.
“We’re trying to grow in all phases of our offense, every player, every position group,” offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko said. "Ultimately, coach (Kubiak) has the final say on how and when we’re going to play this person, that person, and not just quarterback, but any position group, and how players develop over time. We like to see the guys develop in practice, we like to see what they’re doing in these preseason games and then basing decisions on that.”
Kubiak was asked several ways Tuesday about Jeanty's health, and he refused to bite.
Raiders players and coach knelt and prayed when Jeanty was hurt.
“I think that says a lot about him being on the mend and us counting on him,” Kubiak said, the closest he came to providing an indication on where Jeanty stands. "So really excited to get him back, and I’m a huge believer in the power of prayer.”
One of the major questions regarding Mendoza was how he would be able to adjust to taking snaps directly under center. He took snaps out of shotgun almost exclusively at Indiana.
Linderbaum didn't even realize that was the case, an indication of how well Mendoza has adjusted.
“Under center, he’s perfect," said Jordan Meredith, the backup center who has worked most closely with Mendoza. "I’ve had no issues the whole time. He’s been detail oriented in the huddle, taking command of every play that he gets. I see that he’s ready for anything the coaches ask of him.”
The Raiders host San Francisco on Thursday night in the final preseason game for both teams. Kubiak's brother, Klay, is the 49ers' offensive coordinator.
“My brother is the smartest guy in the family, and I’m not kidding," Klint Kubiak said. "He’s brilliant, works really hard. I love him. Not going to love him on Thursday night.”
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) talks with Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum (65) on the sideline during the second half of a preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) sits on the bench during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) hands off to Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. (30) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others kidnapped when armed men attacked a once-peaceful community near Haiti’s capital earlier this week, the United Nations said Tuesday.
It is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, and one gang leader is threatening to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members as they try to secure the community nestled in the hills above Port-au-Prince.
Sunday’s attack on Kenscoff pierced the belief that security in the troubled Caribbean country was improving.
“This is a major political and security test, for the government, for the police and for the international mission,” said Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
He said the threat of executing hostages is a trap: If forces don’t act, they’ve failed to protect them; if they do and hostages die, the gangs will blame the state.
Kenscoff resident Marc Paul, 42, said gangs kidnapped his brother, stepmother, stepfather and two cousins. He said his 16-year-old niece also was kidnapped and raped but was able to escape and has reunited with him.
“I had to run over bodies,” he said as he recalled how he fled the attack. “I can’t sleep knowing all these people died."
Paul and his family had already lost their home to a previous gang attack in January 2025, but he said it was not as violent as Sunday’s attack. Paul was upset about the video the gangs posted: “My brother is probably going to die.”
In a video posted on social media, the gang leader threatened Vladimir Paraison, director of Haiti’s National Police.
“Paraison, if any of our soldiers are hurt, I will kill all of them,” he said, referring to the hostages.
The gang member identified himself as Izo 2, a reference to Izo, or Johnson André, one of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders.
Le Cour said Izo 2 is also known as “Didi” and leads the armed group in Kenscoff on behalf of and in coordination with Izo and other gang leaders.
Kenson Paul, the 17-year-old nephew of Marc Paul, said he managed to escape the attackers.
“They have not called us to let us know what they want,” he said of the gang. “I worry for my family’s life.”
Le Cour said the aim of Sunday’s attack could be to force Haiti’s police and the U.N.-backed gang suppression force to disperse even more of their limited resources.
“They don’t have enough personnel,” Le Cour said in a phone interview. “If you force them to deploy more troops, it would inevitably be at the expense of other areas.”
The attack might also just be a show of force and a message to Haiti’s government and police as the country prepares to hold general elections on Dec. 13 for the first time in more than a decade.
“This is a message to the government and the police that their claims of protection do not match reality,” Le Cour said. “The gangs are saying: when we choose to attack, we can, and we will succeed.”
The first major attack on Kenscoff occurred in January 2025, and since then, there have been sporadic attacks in the mountains surrounding the city center.
But Sunday’s attack was the largest yet. At least five of the 47 people killed were children, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, known as BINUH.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack on Tuesday, noting that 22 of the victims were reportedly executed in a church compound where they had sought shelter: “The relentless gang attacks on communities and the loss of lives underscore the alarming security conditions in Haiti,” he said.
Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon told The Associated Press on Tuesday that gangs set fire to 25 homes and killed two government employees including his cousin, who served as his security detail.
“The atrocity of this crime reminds us that we have to continue working stronger every day to bring peace to the community,” Massillon said. “I’m optimistic that the state will continue working to eradicate the gangs in Kenscoff.”
Gangs are coveting Kenscoff because it allows them to surround and control the upscale community of Pétion-Ville and alternate routes connecting Haiti's capital to its southern region, said María Fernanda Arocha, a researcher with the nonprofit Armed Conflict Location & Event Data.
Between January and August this year, security operations had managed to reduce violence in Kenscoff by 66% prior to the attack, she said in a statement.
“While security forces have concentrated their efforts on operations aimed at regaining control in the central areas of Port-au-Prince, criminal groups have instead sought to expand into rural communities that are vulnerable due to the limited response capacity of the police, but which remain strategic hubs,” she added.
Some survivors accused the government of not providing enough protection prior to the attack, with Haiti’s National Police rejecting those accusations.
Le Cour said that if police and armored vehicles were indeed stationed in Kenscoff prior to the attack, then the assertion is concerning: “You let the gangs come in even if you had everything in place?”
Haiti's National Police issued a statement Tuesday saying Paraison ordered an investigation to establish the truth about the attack “whether due to complicity or negligence.” He also ordered additional specialized units to the area, saying “It is an obligation to protect the civilian population.”
Armed men control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and swaths of land in Haiti’s central region and beyond.
Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti, where more than 3,050 people were reported killed from January to June, according to U.N. statistics released Tuesday.
The U.N. noted that nearly 800 rapes were reported from April to June, with 87% of those cases representing collective rapes.
At least 81 people also were reported kidnapped during that time period, according to a new U.N. report.
“These figures represent only a portion of the total number of people kidnapped,” it stated. “In many cases, victims’ relatives do not report kidnappings to the police or service providers and choose to negotiate directly with the kidnappers, believing that this approach allows for a quicker release and avoids possible reprisals.”
The number of kidnappings reported from April to June represents a more than 40% increase compared with the previous quarter.
Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
People look at the body of a person who was killed during a gang attack in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
People watch as the bodies of their relatives who were killed in a gang attack are carried away by morgue workers in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Women cry at the site where their relatives were killed in a gang attack in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
People gather next to the bodies of people they said were their relatives and were killed in a gang attack in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
