It may only be preseason, but for once in a very long while, the Oakland Raiders look to be a team on the rise.
The Jack Del Rio era began Friday night as the Raiders hosted the St. Louis Rams for Week 1 of preseason. Oakland put on a strong display, especially rookie Amari Cooper, who looks to have a big first year in the NFL. The wide receiver finished the game with three receptions and 22 yards. Quarterback Derek Carr wanted to get the ball too Cooper as many times as possible in their 18-3 victory over the Rams, with one pass in particular being costly.
Carr looked for Cooper in the endzone, and made a poor decision resulting in an interception before turning the ball over to the backups for the remainder of the game. Despite his one mistake, Carr looked solid, releasing the ball quickly and scanning the field for his receivers. Overall, in his 2015 preseason debut, Carr went 6/9 with 43 yards and the one interception.
Offensively, not only did Carr and Cooper shine, but also running back Latavius Murray, who looks to secure the starting position. Murray had six carries for 35 yards, with his longest run of the night being 17 yards. Murray has shown he can break through the defense to create explosive plays, and be a true playmaker in the run game; something the Raiders desperately need after being the worst in the league with the rush attack in 2014.
Backup quarterbacks Christian Ponder and Matt McGloin each had touchdown passes in their season debuts, and with it being preseason, on each touchdown Del Rio and company attempted a two-point conversion, both unsuccessful, but that’s what preseason is for.
The receiving competition is intense this camp, and two players battling for playing time in Andre Holmes and Brice Butler came to play Friday night. Both had touchdowns, but Butler received more playing time as he had six receptions for 57 yards, compared to Holmes one touchdown reception for three yards.
Defensively, the Raiders looked good. The game started off with a feeling of same ol’ same ol’ after the Raiders D allowed the Rams to storm downfield and enter the redzone in under two minutes after kickoff; but they held them to three, and the Rams did nothing offensively thereafter.
Khalil Mack is a force to be reckoned with and a defensive stud as he dominates the line and attacks the quarterback.
A defensive rookie that made a nice impression, was Ben Heeney who had eight tackles and a sack in Friday night’s game.
In the secondary, all eyes are on D.J. Hayden, and he has continued to get burned by receivers on a few plays. There have been high hopes and expectations for Hayden since he was drafted, and, now healthy, it’s time for him to deliver.
The silver and black are a team building with youth for the future. Both 2014 draft picks Carr and Mack had successful rookie seasons in which they look to build on, and they have added talent with Cooper and Michael Crabtree offensively.
At times the Raiders defense let the team down last year, but overall was far better than the offense. This offseason they made improvements to both sides of the ball, and those additions showed in this preseason game against the Rams.
The Raiders looked to have an actual team in their preseason debut, making good plays and taking chances in the playbook early. These players have expressed their want to be in the silver and black uniform, and the Raiders are gaining some praise around the league.
It is only preseason, and Week 1 of preseason at that, but the Raiders are making strides and have acquired much needed players to get them back to competing in this league, and they showed just that against a good Rams team.