Oakland Raiders vs. Los Angeles Rams: 3 takeaways

The Oakland Raiders looked marginally better than they did against the Cardinals, but still lost to the Rams 24-21. Here are three big takeaways from tonight’s preseason action.

They came out of the gate somewhat slow, but not nearly as bad as last week. They allowed the Rams, led by Jared Goff, to tear up the defense and essentially walk into the end zone on the first drive. The offense came out and quickly proved that they will be a force to be reckoned with this season. A Marshawn Lynch carry for six yards began a drive that culminated with a beautiful touchdown pass from Derek Carr to tight end Lee Smith.

There are clearly still question marks surrounding the defense. Thankfully, the first-team offense proved they are good enough to carry the lackluster defense. We saw our first glimpse of Lynch and Jared Cook in Silver and Black, as they were both involved in the first series. Carr got some important reps as well, shaking off the cobwebs from not playing since Week 16 of last season.

It is preseason, so take everything with a grain of salt. But here are some of the biggest takeaways from tonight’s game against the Rams.

Takeaways

Khalil Mack is still a beast, and there’s no way to deal with him. Mack blew up a run play to kick off the first series on defense and it was instantly clear that he is picking up right where he left off. He set the edge perfectly and wrapped up Todd Gurley with a little help from Cory James on the follow through. A few plays later, Mack was held very blatantly (yet it wasn’t called) as he beat the tight end almost instantly.

Mack followed up his strong first sequence with his first sack of the preseason on the defense’s second series. On second down, Mack bulldozed his way into the backfield, beating a double-team easily en-route. Although it was two tight ends, Mack made very quick work of them before crunching Goff.

Undoubtedly, Mack will be integral to the defense this season. Although he will try to singlehandedly carry the rest of his teammates, he simply can’t. It is the same narrative from last season, he needs someone else to step up. Bruce Irvin did a nice job, but it needs to be from the interior pass rush as well. Regardless, Mack should be the odds-on favorite to retain his defensive player of the year honor.

The special teams still looks good, even after all the departures. This offseason the Raiders lost stand out special teams contributors in Andre Holmes and D.J. Hayden. Despite the concerns about losing them, others have been stepping up in their absence.

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The Raiders know what they have in Sebastian Janikowski, who had several great kickoffs that led to the Rams starting out with less than stellar field position. They also understand what they have in Marquette King, who continued his great form from last season tonight with multiple booming punts. What really stood out however, was the coverage on those plays.

Shalom Luani and Marquel Lee both made several very noticeable hits on special teams, along with solid efforts on defense. On the opening kickoff, it was fullback Jamize Olawale who came rumbling down the field to make the tackle. With efforts like these, the Raiders special teams unit could be just as solid as last season. Field position will be key this season, especially if the defense doesn’t get it together. Thankfully, it appears so far that our special teams will continue the strong season they had last year.

EJ Manuel may have opened the door for Connor Cook to close the gap on the backup position. After an impressive first outing against the Cardinals, Manuel looked rather abysmal tonight. Against the Cards, Manuel went 10-12 with 107 yards. He impressed and looked like the clear cut choice to back up Carr should something happen to him this season – knock on wood.

In stark contrast, Manuel threw for only 16 yards tonight only completing three of his nine passes. He missed his targets badly on multiple occasions, although one of them was a drop. Still, Manuel looked like the flop he was made out to be in Buffalo.

On a brighter note, Cook looked really good tonight. Essentially, Manuel and Cook swapped places from last week. He was much more composed and accurate throwing out of the pocket tonight, and the stats prove it. Despite his last couple attempts in the last minute of the game, the second year quarterback looked solid. Cook threw for 83 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts. This could possibly spice up the quarterback battle and add another storyline to watch going into the season. Whoever impresses more in the final two preseason games will surely win the job.

Next: Raiders come up short vs. Rams 24-21: Highlights, score, recap

One thing is for sure, Cook looked a lot more comfortable running Downing’s offense. Perhaps that is due to his extra year ahead of Manuel with regards to knowing the offense. Whoever wins this battle will be vital should Carr miss anytime this season. Regardless, both should be prepared and know the offense like the back of their hand.

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