The Raiders preseason has come to an end, as Las Vegas finishes 4-0 for the first time in franchise history. Now, the takeaways from this year’s preseason.
After three preseason contests, first-year Raiders’ head coach Josh McDaniels found himself with an undefeated record heading into the final matchup against the Patriots. Jacksonville, Minnesota and Miami all fell victim to the Silver and Black’s preseason dominance, but could McDaniels wrap up his perfect performance with New England in town?
That’s right; in order for McDaniels to cap off an undefeated record, he would have to overcome the franchise he spent over a decade with. To make it even more interesting, Jarrett Stidham, who started all four preseason contests, had the chance to make the Patriots pay for dealing him this offseason.
With the ball on the tee, the game was ready to begin.
For the Raiders, it started off like any other preseason contest this year. After a quick defensive stop, Las Vegas got the ball and immediately drove into scoring position. Unfortunately, the drive was cut short, but a chip shot gave the Raiders a 3-0 lead. Not that Daniel Carlson needed a chip shot – after all, he’s yet to miss a field goal at Allegiant.
The second series was a bit of déjà vu. Once again, the defense forced a quick stop, and Stidham drove the offense back into the red zone. This time, rookie running back Brittain Brown punched it in for six. 10-0, Las Vegas.
The Silver and Black continued to dominate for the remainder of the showdown. Undrafted free agent Luke Masterson snagged an interception against starting quarterback Mac Jones, and wide receiver Isaiah Zuber got an interception of his own against Patriots’ rookie Bailey Zappe.
You read that right; wide receiver Isaiah Zuber took the field to play safety, showing the Patriots that Las Vegas may have a mini Troy Brown themselves. If you missed the play, you can check it out here.
At the game’s end, the Raiders walked away with a 23-6 victory, officially wrapping up an undefeated preseason.
With the preseason now behind the Raiders, we look back and summarize this period of time. General takeaways will be the first stretch of this, with roster breakdowns based on various categories coming soon after.
The regular season is upon us, but first, here’s everything you need to know from the preseason – from the team as a whole to individual players.