Oakland Raiders fall in preseason finale, 17-15 to Seattle
By Brad Weiss
The Oakland Raiders lost to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, finishing up the preseason with a 3-1 record, and many tough decisions to make.
The Oakland Raiders went into their final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks flying high, after getting out to a 3-0 start this summer. Against the Seahawks, it was the guys on the bubble who would get a chance to shine, as many of the Raiders regular starters did not even make the trip North to take on Seattle.
Oakland got off to a slow start, and never really got it going, though they did end up only losing by two points, 17-15. Mike Glennon looked very inconsistent under center to start the game, and was replaced by Nathan Peterman in the second quarter, and Peterman once again nearly led the Raiders to the comeback victory.
Much like he did last year against Seattle in the preseason, Keon Hatcher had a nice game, hauling in six catches and tying Keelan Doss for the team-lead. Doss has been an incredible storyline for the Silver and Black this summer, going from an undrafted rookie free agent, to someone who could actually make the team’s 53-man roster.
On defense, former New York Jets starting quarterback Geno Smith had it going for Seattle early on, connecting on two touchdown throws against a Raiders secondary that looked very bad early on. Oakland did get to the Seattle quarterbacks three times, and held the Seahawks offense to only a field goal in the second half, but the damage was already done.
Overall, the Raiders finished the preseason with a 3-1 record, good enough for first place in the AFC West.
By 4pm PT on Saturday, we will know who the Raiders kept for their Week 1 53-man roster, and for the first time in a long time, the cuts are going to be tough. Looking at this roster, there are a number of players who could end up on an NFL roster if they are let go before the deadline, which is a testament to the job Mike Mayock and his staff did this preseason.
dark. Next. Gruden pleased with his three first-round picks
The Raiders won only four games last season, but you can feel that this team has a completely different vibe around it. Derek Carr is confident in Year No. 2 with Gruden, there are actual star weapons around him, and the defense as a whole looks better. Overall, it was a very successful summer.