Despite the preseason stigma of being barely pro football, the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals both gave their fans signs of optimism after Friday night’s debut.
Raider Up
The Raiders and Cardinals first team offenses played two and one series, respectively, and both showed some growth from a season ago. Led by Derek Carr, the Raiders attacked the Cardinals defense vertically. Four of Carr’s seven passes on the night were vertical, showing more of a disposition to take advantage of advantages on the boundary. Still, the offense left plenty of yards on the field.
Second-year receiver Amari Cooper left two big play opportunities on the field by failing to get a second foot in on a deep go route and short-arming a wheel route on the sideline. Michael Crabtree looked liked the more experienced receiver he is. Of his two catches for 38 yards, it was a deep sideline grab which became the play of the night for the Raiders starters.
The biggest takeaway Raiders fans should note from this matchup was the control Carr displayed pre-snap. Carr showed his mastery of signaling his offense and changing plays to what he believed would result in the best outcome - a departure from last year’s vanilla approach. In two series, Carr’s first team offense was able to put up three points by way of a 53-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski.
It wasn't until perennial Raiders backup Matt McGloin took the field that the Raiders offense came to life. Touchdown passes to fourth string receiver Andre Holmes and second string tight end Clive Walford secured the Raiders lead heading into the half, 17-10.
Defensively, the Raiders flashed some of their new toys. Cornerback Sean Smith nearly pick-sixed an early first quarter pass from Carson Palmer. Rookies Jihad Ward and Karl Joseph also looked the part, compiling a tackle each during their first drive.
The biggest scare for both sides came when defensive Mario Edwards Jr. suffered what appeared to be a lower-body injury. The good news is early X-rays returned negative and reports suggest Edwards suffered an injured hip.
Cardinal Rules
Unlike the Raiders, the Cardinals already have the high powered offense moniker attached to them. Last year’s group is upgraded by an increased role of second-year running back, David Johnson. Playing only one series, the Cardinals seemingly moved between the twenty-yard lines at will, relying on a long catch by Michael Floyd and a long run by johnson, before capping the drive with a 25-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro.
It was business as usual for the Cardinals starting offense, who was only missing third receiver John Brown to a concussion. David Johnson has seemingly picked up where he left off late last season when he rushed and received for 128 total yards in the NFC Championship game Carolina Panthers. The only question is where this upgraded roster can take the team, who were only one game away from a Super Bowl appearance.
On defense, the Cardinals debuted a rookie starting corner in Brandon Williams who saw just about every pass come his way when the Raiders starting offense was on the field. It was trial by fire for the rookie, and although he looked the part of an NFL cornerback, Friday night had plenty teachable moments to look back on.
Final Score
The Raiders ultimately pulled away thanks to efforts of third-string running back, George Atkinson III who scored twice on runs of 53 and 34 yards. The Raiders next preseason game will be against the Packers in Green Bay on Thursday, while the Cardinals travel to San Diego to play the Chargers on Friday.