Oakland Raiders lose wild storm delayed game to Vikings

Aug 22, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) and Oakland Raiders quarterback Christian Ponder (9) talk after the game at TCF Bank Stadium. The Minnesota Vikings beat the Oakland Raiders 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday night was an unforgettable preseason game for the Oakland Raiders as thunderstorms in Minneapolis wreaked havoc on their visit to take on the Minnesota Vikings. Delays before the game as well as a lengthy break in play in the second quarter creating for a difficult, but interesting game that ultimately ended with a 20-12 win for the Vikings who handed the Raiders their first loss of the preseason.

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The thunderstorm interrupted pregame warmups, causing the stadium at the University of Minnesota to be empty until 30 minutes before kickoff and creating doubts about whether or not the game should even be played on Saturday with the thunderstorms looking like a guarantee to halt play at some point. The game surprisingly began on time however, but with 6:45 left in the second quarter lightning lit up the darkened sky, causing a delay asfFans were ordered to evacuate to across the street and to the basketball/hockey buildings.

Luckily for both teams, Mother Nature delayed the game after the first team units got in their reps last night. Both Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr putting on a show in the first of two scheduled meetings in 2015 for the young stars. Bridgewater got the better of Carr in the box score battle, finishing 10-14 for 89 yards and a touchdown, but it was a stalemate on the scoreboard as both starting passers drove their team down the field for one touchdown on the night.

Carr’s best drive featured a big 40-yard connection to Amari Cooper, who made a spectacular catch that needed video review to confirm that he had both feet down before falling out of bounds. That play set up a touchdown run for Latavius Murray, who was the star of the night for the Raiders yet again as he showcased the type of burst that offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is hoping will make the third year running back a workhorse that can carry this team in 2015. Murray had just four carries for 20 yards, but each run was encouraging along with the team’s only touchdown of the game to keep the positivity high surrounding the young running back.

Michael Dyer also made his bid to make the 53 man roster over former third overall pick Trent Richardson as the Undrafted Free Agent had a big night in the backfield for the Raiders. Getting an extended look, Dyer was given 12 carries and responded with 45 yards on the ground while Richardson struggled. The much-maligned running back getting just five carries for five yards as Richardson again struggled while Dyer continued to impress the coaching staff.

In the end Saturday night was a disappointment for the Raiders even if some players had individual success as a much sloppier performance came out of a difficult situation with the weather delay that forced a two minute halftime and the lengthy weather delay. It was hard to expect anything else given the circumstances, but going into the all-important third preseason game the Raiders coaches will be hoping that better weather and less sloppy play comes out of a night to forget in Minnesota. Playing a game that was at many times as ugly as the weather, the Raiders will be looking to regroup as they return to the practice field this week before taking on the Arizona Cardinals at the Coliseum next weekend.

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