NFL 2024 Preseason: Week 1 Raiders Recap
The offseason is over, and it was time to play preseason football. Antonio Pierce was now the full time Raiders head coach. The defense under Patrick Graham finally seemed improved after over a decade of being subpar. Sadly, running back Josh Jacobs is in Green Bay, as Zamir White is now the lead back. Aidan O’Connell and newly acquired free agent Gardner Minshew were in an open battle for the quarterback spot, which has suffered since Derek Carr went to New Orleans.
With preseason games, the score is less important than seeing how the players are executing.
The Raiders first preseason game was at the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings were also a team in transition under head coach Kevin O’Connell. Longtime starter Kirk Cousins signed with Atlanta. Rookie JJ McCarthy would see playing time in this game, but it was newly acquired veteran Sam Darnold who got the start. Darnold was looking to revive his career.
The Vikings after an opening touchback under the new kickoff rules got the ball at their own 30 yard line. They moved to a 3rd and 2 at the Raiders 4 yard line. After Darnold threw incomplete, Kevin O’Connell decided to go for it. This is preseason, after all. Darnold threw incomplete again. So while it was concerning for the Raiders defense that the Minnesota offense moved so easily, the goal line stand was a positive development.
From one O’Connell to another, it was time for Aidan as he got the surprising start over Minshew. O’Connell led an efficient 15 play, 83 yard drive that took nearly 8 minutes off the clock. Yet the one knock on O’Connell is that he holds the ball too long. Also, on 2nd and goal at the 3, the Raiders should have been running the ball. Instead, O’Connell threw incomplete. On 3rd and goal, O’Connell was sacked. Daniel Carlson hit the 31 yard field goal for a 3-0 Raiders lead.
The Vikings took over at their own 15 yard line, and it seemed Darnold was already done for the night. McCarthy saw his first NFL action. After three straight runs, McCarthy began the second quarter with his first NFL pass attempt. He completed it to N sailor for 18 yards. Yet on 3rd and 8 from his own 44, mcCarthy threw his first interception. Ball hawk Jack Jones picked off McCarthy to set the Raiders up at their own 33.
Now it was O’Connell who was surprisingly done for the night as Minshew took over. Minshew quickly went deep to Tre Tucker for a 29 yard gain. Running back Alexander Mattison spent his first 5 years with the Vikings, but in this past offseason he was cut and picked up by the Raiders. With White done for the day, Mattison got to carry the ball for the silver and black. Minshew went deep to Turner for a 20 yard touchdown to put the Raiders up 10-0.
This time the Vikings struck back quickly. On 2nd and 6 from their own 28, McCarthy hit Jackson for a 24 yard gain. On the next play Nwangwu broke through the right side and ripped off a 48 yard touchdown run. Just like that, the Vikings were within 10-7.
The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 11 at their own 25. Minshew went deep to Tucker, who made a diving catch for a 44 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Minnesota 27, Minshew found Fotheringham for an 11 yard gain and Amir Abdullah for 10 more. White took a hand off up the middle and spun his way in for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 17-7 Raiders.
Then came some confusion due to the new kickoff rules. Surprise onside kicks are no longer allowed, and even expected onside kicks have severe restrictions. In this case Carlson merely had a short kickoff that traveled 44 yards to the Minnesota 21. This is now a violation. The ball did not reach the “landing zone,” which is the opposing team’s 20. Because the ball was one yard short, the Vikings automatically received the ball at their own 40.
The Vikings moved to a 4th and 3 at the Raiders 18 at the 2 minute warning. The Raiders have very good special teams. Kicker Carlson and punter AJ Cole are both solid. Yet it was a different kind of special teams play that showed improvement. Greg Joseph was the kicker for Minnesota last year who scored the only points late in the game in a 3-0 Vikings win over the Raiders. This year Joseph is in Green Bay. Rookie Will Reichard is now the Vikings kicker. His first NFL attempt from 36 yards out was blocked. Sanford returned the blocked kick 42 yards to set up the Raiders at the Minnesota 40. Carlson nailed a 56 yard field goal to have the Raiders up 20-7 at the half.
While the second half would be played with a bunch of third stringers who might not make the roster of either team, the Raiders still wanted to get out of Minnesota with a win. The previous Raiders coach who shall not be mentioned ever again was famous for blowing double digit leads. The Raiders 3rd string quarterback is Anthony Brown Jr, in his first season with the team. He began the second half and played the rest of the way. On his first pass attempt, he was sacked.
The Vikings soon got the ball back and faced 3rd and 9 at their own 40. McCarthy was stallion the game, and he went to Muse for 15. McCarthy then went deep to Jackson for a 45 yard touchdown to get the Vikings within 20-14. Brown after a delay of game soon faced 3rd and 12 at his own 17. He was sacked again. The Vikings got the ball back at their own 37 and soon faced 4th and 1 at the Raiders 43 after McCarthy threw incomplete. Kevin O’Connell went for it. McCarthy went to Jackson for 10 yards and then went deep to Sherfield for a 33 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Vikings led for the first time 21-20.
After a third straight failed drive by Brown that saw the Raiders offense move backward, the Vikings brought in their third stringer Jaren Hall. McCarthy after two straight touchdown drives was done for the night. The Vikings went 3 and out when Matt Gaskin got stopped cold on 3rd and 1. The Raiders took over with a short field just past midfield. Without throwing a single pass, the Raiders moved to a 4th and 2 at the Minnesota 12. Antonio Pierce went for it. Brown gained 4 yards. Yet on 3rd and goal at the one, rather than play smash mouth, Pierce decided to line up in the shotgun. Coaches everywhere must stop doing this. Go basic, stone age football. Stop trying to be too cute by half. McCormick was blasted for a 3 yard loss. Carlson hit the 23 yard field goal to put the Raiders back in front 23-21 with 9:43 left in regulation.
The game then turned ugly, as each team punted three straight times. The raiders went 3 and out all three times, while the Vikings went 3 and out twice and punted after 4 plays once. That means the Vikings managed one first down and the Raiders managed none. That’s why these are third string players.
With 90 seconds left, the Vikings took over at their own 41. Hall hit James for 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Raiders 39, Hall hit Thomas for 11. With 4 seconds left in regulation, Reichard came in for a 38 yard field goal try. The kick was good, and the Vikings had the win.
Yes, Raiders fans can be tempted to talk about another double digit collapse, but this was different. Yes, the Raiders should have slammed the door shut. nevertheless, their starters outplayed the Minnesota starters. The previous administration went 4-0 in preseason, which meant nothing once the games counted. The Raiders have some bright spots and some room for improvement, as is the case with every team. The Raiders have two more preseason games, both at home. They will host Dallas and San Francisco. 24-23 Vikings