Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals: Highlights, score, recap

The Oakland Raiders fell the Arizona Cardinals in their first preseason game of 2017, 20-10. Here are all the highlights, a brief recap and the final score.

It was all Arizona Cardinals in the first half of the Oakland Raiders’ first preseason game of the year. Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton were able to move the ball at will on this struggling Raiders secondary. Sure, Arizona quarterbacks coach Byron Leftwich called a great game, but the Raiders defensive backfield made the game more lopsided in the first half than it needed to.

Oakland was able to move the chains a bit aerially with EJ Manuel at quarterback, but the ground game couldn’t get going at all in the first half. Robert Nkemdiche and the boys made it difficult for DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard to get anything that wasn’t being run off-tackle.

Arizona led 17-3 at the half. Raiders backup kicker Giorgio Tavecchio was able to tack on three points as time expired at the end of the second quarter. It could not have been a worse first half for the Raiders, but things would get better in the third quarter for the Silver and Black.

Connor Cook would come in at quarterback and lead a scoring drive. Running John Crockett would find pay dirt to make it 17-10 Cardinals on a one-yard dive. Cook wasn’t setting the world on fire with his passing ability, but used the run to his advantage against an aggressive second-unit defense of the Cardinals.

Oakland would get a pass rush in the second half, making life more difficult than normal for journeyman quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Rookies LaTroy Lewis and Treyvon Hester would be the two that really went after him in the second half. Just an all-around better effort by the Raiders after halftime. You have to believe head coach Jack Del Rio lit a fire under the second-team guys to make their mark in this game.

Sure, it wasn’t the effort Raider Nation wanted, but there were positive takeaways, especially in the second half. Oakland would fall to Arizona by the score of 20-10 on Saturday. Here are the three stars from the preseason opener against the Cardinals.

Three Stars

1. Drew Stanton: Stanton completed 11 of 15 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 7.5 yards per attempt and had a quarterback rating of 116.5
2. Robert Nkemdiche: Though he only had three tackles, two solo, Nkemdiche was an absolute behemoth on that Cardinals defensive line. He might be making that second-year leap that many NFL players do. Keep in mind he was the No. 1 player in the country in the 2013 high school graduating class.
3. Cory James: We need to point out the great first half that James played for the Silver and Black. He played with great passion, recording seven tackles, all solo and a quarterback hit.

Highlights

Next Game

The Raiders will host the Los Angeles Rams in their second preseason game of the 2017 NFL season. Kickoff from Oakland Alameda Coliseum will be 7:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, Aug. 19.

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Raider Nation can expect that the Rams offense will not be as surgical as Arizona’s was tonight. Los Angeles will be better prepared to move the sticks with Sean McVay as head coach, but Jared Goff is only in his second year out of Cal. Let’s turn the page and be appreciative that Raider football is back in our lives!