Recapping the Vikings, Raiders showdown in Las Vegas
The showdown started much like it did against the Jaguars in Canton. Under Stidham’s signal calling, The Silver and Black drove deep into opposing territory on both of their first two drives and forced Minnesota off the field with back-to-back 3 & outs.
Stidham has now started two preseason contests, bringing the Raiders into enemy territory on the first two drives of both matchups. 3 of these 4 drives made it to the red zone, and in typical Raiders fashion, 3-of-4 ended with the field goal unit coming onto the field. On the second drive against Minnesota, the Raiders recorded their first and only touchdown during the abovementioned series’.
Stidham broke the streak of field goals in opposing territory as he scrambled in for six during the first quarter. The Raiders’ offense was on fire, and the defense seemed unbeatable. Things were looking great in Las Vegas.
As the half ended, the Raiders went into the locker room with a 10-6 lead. Stidham looked sharp through the first half, even though he missed a few short freebee’s early in the game. The good news is, that the 26-year-old behind Derek Carr was able to rebound and keep drives moving despite some easy misses. The former Patriot continued showing why he should be the QB2 for his new team.
Winner of the first half: Darius Phillips
I was very impressed with Phillips. In the first series of the contest, the Raiders’ cornerback was involved in two of the three plays. The first was airtight coverage on a pass that was out of everyone’s reach, and the second came on third-down, where Phillips swarmed the ball carrier on a quick pass, forcing a punt. Who should return that punt but Phillips, gaining 17 yards on the return?
This is the second game in a row where Phillips has been nothing short of impressive.
The loser of the first half: Amik Robertson
Robertson was beaten multiple times in the first half, even surrendering the first 20-yard completion of the day for Minnesota. When Robertson wasn’t giving up catches, he was being flagged for holding. To make it worse, Phillips, who showed out both in coverage and on special teams, is fighting for a roster spot at the same position. The Raiders need to make 5 cuts by tomorrow, and Amik may be one of them.