It wouldn't be a preseason game between the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers if it wasn't a close, fairly low-scoring game that nearly ends in a tie (or does!). But the exhibition slate is now over after Klint Kubiak's team fell by a score of 18-12 at Allegiant Stadium on Alumni Night.
Las Vegas' starters actually got their most extended run in this game, playing the first two drives on both sides of the ball. Several offensive starters were even in during the third series when rookie QB Fernando Mendoza entered the game. So, for that reason, it was fairly exciting for Raider Nation.
But the rest of the game wasn't exactly action-packed; the two teams combined for no touchdowns and 10 field goals. A lot still went on in this contest, though, so let's rip off some rapid-fire thoughts from all of the action in the preseason finale. The next time we do this, the games will really matter.
12 rapid-fire thoughts from Raiders vs. 49ers preseason finale
1. Fernando Mendoza certainly doesn't lack confidence. He may have gotten overzealous on the throw that led to an INT, but no matter how bad the protection was, Mendoza came back firing and unphased. He had good moments and improvised well, but it was tough to do much with the blocking.
2. The offensive line depth struggled once again, to a worrisome extent. Charles Grant got whooped on a speed rush around the edge, and Atonio Mafi and Trey Zuhn III messed up a stunt. Simply put, the running lanes weren't there and Mendoza got pelted all night. No combination got the job done.
3. After one drive, fans really didn't need to see more of Mike Washington Jr. Even if Ashton Jeanty were fully healthy, Washington Jr. should factor into this running back room in a major way after the preseason that he's had. He just looks like an above-average NFL running back already.
4. Rob Leonard's group came to play. The third-down defense was much improved, and although they gave up a few explosives in the run game, they didn't let 49ers get in the end zone all game, and the coverage was much better on the back end. The run defense was porous at times, but improvement!
5. Isaiah Pola-Mao and Taron Johnson played really well. Treydan Stukes should start, as he looked great and very comfortable. Jermod McCoy also had a nice showing in coverage and he didn't get fooled on a reverse, and Zeke Masses was stellar in coverage again and made a really great tackle.
6. Cody Lindenberg and Tommy Eichenberg each missed two tackles, which was disheartening. Luckily, Segun Olubi had a few splash moments, including a good coverage rep, and both Cameron McGrone and Xavian Sorey Jr. had good outings in the middle of the Raiders' defense.
7. Patrick Johnson and Foley Fatukasi continue to impress defensively, and Johnson on special teams as well. Keyron Crawford got in on the fun with his first sack (hopefully his injury isn't serious), and Jahfari Harvey had a handful of impactful rushes as well. JJ Pegues had his moments, too.
8. The first-team offense looked very good. I'm convinced that Kubiak didn't want to show red zone looks, so things got a bit stalled and vanilla there. But I loved that everyone got involved, and that the offensive line was great. Kirk Cousins had clean pockets and Washington Jr. had big holes to run in.
9. Tre Tucker had a lot of manufactured touches, which was fun to see. Jalen Nailor had a heck of a grab, and both Jack Bech and Michael Mayer had catches as well. Nailor could have hauled in the pass on Mendoza's interception, and Bech had a bad blocking night. Ian Thomas majorly struggled.
10. Both Caleb Rogers and Jackson Powers-Johnson played well. Rogers sprung a pair of Washington Jr.'s runs on the second possession, and Powers-Johnson just had an all-around superb night. This is going to be a really tough call for the coaching staff. Maybe the battle drags on.
11. The Raiders were a lot more disciplined on Thursday, with only two penalties for 15 yards in the entire game. The special teams unit also looked a lot better, with fewer flags and much better coverage. Looks like the coaching staff is correcting mistakes. Imagine that.
12. Matt Gay looked good, until he didn't, as he missed a field goal from 54 yards. To his credit, he did connect on a 53-yarder, a 48-yarder, a 45-yarder and a 37-yarder. Still, missing field goals in the preseason is not ideal. Kansei Matsuzawa didn't even get an opportunity on Thursday.
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