Reactions to Raiders' preseason game vs. Vikings

Popular camp names continue to shine

Many of the players who made a name for themselves during training camp in Costa Mesa put together solid performances in Minnesota as well.

DJ Turner is known to be a special teams ace but has apparently made strides as a receiver. This development was on full display in the first preseason game as he caught an impressive touchdown from Minshew early in the second quarter. 

Fans were told all offseason that Brock Bowers was as advertised, and after watching him on just one drive, it’s hard to argue with that. He caught two balls on the opening possession, both of which were for first downs, and he displayed some impressive yards after catch ability.

Malcolm Koonce ended last year on a hot note, and reports from camp indicated that he was continuing to build off of this momentum. He recorded a tackle for loss and a pressure to force a fourth down.

Jakorian Bennett displayed why he has seemingly won the starting cornerback role opposite of Jack Jones as well. He had an impressive pass break up on fourth down near the goal line and avoided any penalties, which has been an issue for him. 

So much has been said about Jones in camp, and he delivered on Saturday. The poor rookie, JJ McCarthy, had the misfortune (or miscalculation) of throwing it Jones’ way on his first possession, and Jones picked it off. 

Tre’Von Moehrig was as solid as can be, collecting six tackles in just two possessions, bailing out the second unit defensive tackles. Nobody heard a peep from Nate Hobbs on Saturday, which as a corner, is great. Decamerion Richardson also had a bit of a quiet day, and he did shed one block on a screen pass to make a tackle, which was nice. 

The defense as a whole looked great as well, and despite a few miscommunications, we know Patrick Graham isn’t showing all the tricks up his sleeve. The group bent but did not break and recorded an interception and a blocked field goal. They also had nine pass break ups.