The 2024 Las Vegas Raiders’ first preseason game is in the books. Their loss to the Vikings showed a lot about the new regime in place and the team it put together so far. Here are the top takeaways from The Raiders’ first preseason game as week two is underway.
Top Four Takeaways From the Raiders First Preseason Game
Aidan O’Connell vs Gardner Minshew
After Saturday’s game Head Coach Antonio Pierce seemed pleased with his two quarterbacks competing for the starting job. He pointed out that each of the four possessions that Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew played ended with points on the board. O’Connell got the starting nod and began his only drive of the day on the Raiders five-yard line. With a pair of highlight throws to Jakobi Meyers and rookie Brock Bowers The Raiders’ Offense drove down to the Vikings’ redzone where a sack led to settling for a field goal. O’Connell looked good so far going seven for nine with 76 yards on the day.
Minshew on the other hand ended up going six for twelve with 117 yards through the air and one touchdown passing. He also looked good aside from the 50 percent completion percentage. Minshew made some big plays to Tre Tucker and DJ Turner downfield but was a bit more inaccurate and careless with the ball than O’Connell. Nonetheless, Minshew led two touchdown drives and a two-minute drill that led to a field goal. These quarterbacks aren’t making this decision on Antonio Pierce to pick the starter easy. Both quarterbacks have things to work on, both made some good plays, and either quarterback still has a chance to take the starting job regardless of who people think will get it. It also looks like Minshew is going with the starters next week against The Cowboys when star wide receiver Davante Adams comes back. Trading places with O’Connell is likely to get a better evaluation of each quarterback and rightly so.
The Offensive Line Struggles
The Raiders’ offensive line was deprived of one of its best players in left tackle Kolton Miller and one of its brightest prospects in rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson. It wasn’t such a terrible performance that the potential for the offense should be in question this season, but it needs to be pointed out and addressed. Aidan O’Connell led a drive from the Raiders’ five-yard line before being sacked on third down from his blindside. There is a high probability that if starting left tackle Kolton Miller was playing over backup Andrus Peat the drive-ending sack on third down in the redzone wouldn’t have happened. It’s unfair to pin the failure of the entire drive on one player, but giving up a sack in the red zone against a rookie will get any left tackle criticized. Not only that, the Raiders’ first drive relied on Aidan O’Connell to pass the ball down the field while the run game failed to get going behind the starting offensive line. It’s unfair to pin the failure of the entire drive on one player, but giving up a sack in the red zone against a rookie will get any left tackle criticized.
Later in the Game, the line continued to struggle to get a consistent run game going and gave up three more sacks in the second half. The offense ultimately mustered only a field goal in the second half and less than 100 yards of offense. This shouldn’t be a huge cause for concern given that the only sack given up by the starters on the Raiders offense was the substitute for Kolton Miller. However, given the number of injuries nagging some of the best Offensive linemen on the team, the backups on the Offensive line are likely to see some playing time this season at one point or another. Rookie DJ Glaze who looks like he’s going to be a backup tackle for both sides this season overset on his kick step in pass protection in the second half and got exposed for a sack. The Raiders moved DJ Glaze from right tackle during Gardner Minshew’s drives to left tackle when Anthony Brown was behind center likely to get this rookie comfortable for worst-case scenarios with the starters during the season. Glaze did considerably better on the Right side winning a one-on-one pass block for a Minshew to DJ Turner touchdown in the second Quarter. At the end of the day, the Raiders offensive line played well enough when the two possible starting quarterbacks even without starting left tackle Kolton Miller and coveted prospect Jackson Powers-Johnson. However, they still need to prove themselves just two weeks before the season starts.
The Starting Tight End(s) Shine
Starting Tight Ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer are some of the most exciting aspects of new Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy’s fresh system in Las Vegas. Both Tight Ends caught passes on the opening drive with rookie Brock Bowers catching two passes for 26 yards on two targets showcasing both players’ ability to be one of the quarterback’s most reliable targets. To no surprise, Bowers lined up everywhere including the fullback position where he caught a pass. The zone and RPO scheme set up by Getsy is exciting in terms of the way it can use Bowers’ athleticism and the tight ends at large. One of the best plays for the Raider Offense against the Vikings was a first and ten-play action that saw Bowers and Mayer pass blocking while Jakobi Meyers ran open for an easy 23-yard gain. Bowers and Mayer did a great job blocking on this play and throughout the drive.
Bowers looked great but will have to get a feel for improvising at the NFL level when defenders in zone coverage cover him and force him to find the space for his quarterback to make the throw. Nonetheless, Head Coach Antonio Pierce encapsulated their new scheme by saying this at the post-game press conference, “As our tight ends go, so does our offense”.
The Defense Is As Advertised (Or Better)
The first-team defense wasn’t quite playing up to their standards against the Vikings according to Antonio Pierce and it showed. The Raiders’ first-team defense gave up some big chunk plays in their only drive with starters Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkerson. However, they made up for it by getting a fourth down stop in the red zone against a Vikings defense without Justin Jefferson. Among the standout performers on the first team aside from Crosby and Wilkerson were Jack Jones and Trevon Moehrig. Moehrig ended with 6 tackles and one pass defensed in the redzone on fourth down. Just before deflecting a potential touchdown in the endzone, he made a big tackle for a loss against the run in the endzone. Jack Jones also stood out with his first interception of 2024 breaking on a ball thrown by rookie JJ McCarthy in a way not many cornerbacks in the NFL can. So far, it looks like the first of many. The Raiders’ defense bent but didn’t break in the first half giving up big plays and one touchdown, but getting a turnover on downs along with an interception to make up for it. The defensive players trying to make the team and backups solidifying their spots left much to be desired at points giving up 17 points and allowing the Vikings to come back with long catches for touchdowns.
Second-year defensive lineman Tyree Wilson also stood out for some very average play when the expectation was that the former first-round pick would finally be showing why he was taken seventh overall in the 2023 draft. Wilson got a lot of snaps for a preseason game and showed why. He needs the extra work and is not playing at the level he would need to start on this strong Raiders defensive line. Whether it was in the three-technique or rushing the passer from the outside Wilson struggled to shed blockers and finished the game with no tackles. Nonetheless, the Raiders’ first-team defense is going to be scary once Crosby and Wilkerson are terrorizing backfields for an entire game instead of about nine snaps.
Some honorable mentions from Saturday’s game are the ensemble of receivers that are led by Davante Adams who was with his family last Saturday to celebrate the birth of his child. Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, and DJ Turner all had big-time catches against the Vikings that went for over 20 yards. Tucker and Turner especially are going to be used as deep threats this season to complement Adams and Meyers, so it was great to see them both have success catching the ball far down the field when it mattered. Overall, The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot to look forward to with Davante Adams coming back this week and the rumor that the quarterback battle will be decided after the week two preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Main Image: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
