Raiders Warm Up for Season With 23-6 Victory
First-year Coach Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders were pleased to go 4-0 in the preseason for the first time in franchise history but that’s over and what happens from now on is for keeps.
Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham again led the Raiders to an early lead, the Silver and Black turned two interceptions into touchdowns and Daniel Carlson kicked three field goals in a 23-6 victory over the New England Patriots before an estimated 61,323 fans at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
It came on a night when the Raiders honored more than 300 players from all 63 seasons in franchise history, including the late David Humm, a native of Las Vegas who was a quarterback on winning teams in Super XI and XVIII.
Members of Humm’s family lit the Al Davis Memorial Torch before the game.
And then the Raiders, who held two joint practices with the Patriots during the week, went to work.
Stidham, who started all four preseason games with starter Derek Carr never getting off the bench, again led the Raiders to an early lead, 10-0, and left late in the first quarter, turning things over to rookie Chase Garbers.
The Raiders traded Nick Mullens to the Minnesota Vikings earlier this week because it was obvious that Stidham had beaten him out for the backup job.
“We got off to a good start again and went ahead,” said McDaniels, who was coaching against his former team and mentor, Coach Bill Belichick, who has led the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories that the new Raiders boss was part of. “We wanted to make some chunk plays take care of the ball, and we did that, too.
“On defense, we wanted to be fierce and take the ball away, and we also were able to do that.”
Both of the Raiders’ touchdowns came after pass interceptions, the first after Carlson kicked a 23-yard field goal on the first series of the game as Las Vegas backups were playing against several Patriots starters.
Rookie linebacker Luke Masterson, an undrafted free agent from Wake Forest, intercepted a pass by Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones and returned it 30 yards to the New England 32-yard-line.
Rookie running back Zamir White Brown, a fourth-round pick out of Georgia, ran five yards for a touchdown five plays later and the Raiders had a 10-0 lead with 3:20 remaining in the first quarter.
The Raiders held a 16-7 lead in the final quarter when wide receiver/defensive back Isaiah Zuber, who was with the Patriots in 2020, picked off a pass by rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe and ran it back 25 yards, again to the New England 32-yard-line.
Rookie Brittain Brown, a seventh-round pick from UCLA, scored seven plays later on a three-yard run with 3:12 left for the final points of the game. Both touchdowns came on the same play, a quick pitch around the left end.
The Patriots had two touchdowns called back because of penalties and had to settle for field goals of 35 yards and 22 yards by Nick Folk in the second and third quarters.
Stidham, who was very efficient all pre-season, completed 4-of-6 passes for 72 yards without a touchdown or interception against his former team, while Garbers, a rookie from the University of California in Berkeley, hit on 12-of-22 for 141 yards, also without a TD or interception, and rushed eight times for 17 yards on scrambles.
Brown led the Raiders with 28 yards on 11 carries including his touchdown, while Austin Walter gained 20 yards on six rushes, and White had 17 on five carries, including his touchdown.
Wide receiver Keelan Cole made three catches for 48 yards, including a 21-yarder, while Brown had three receptions out of the backfield for 23 yards, and tight end Jesper Horsted caught two balls for 35 yards, including a 30-yarder. Tyron Johnson had only one catch, but it went for 45 yards.
Rookie linebacker Darien Butler, a free agent from Arizona State, led the Raiders with 11 tackles, while cornerback Amik Robertson had six, and defensive end Tashawn Bower collected five tackles, two of the Raiders’ four sacks, and recovered a fumble.
Rookie cornerback Sam Webb, an undrafted rookie from Missouri West, and undrafted rookie cornerback Bryce Cosby of Ball State both had five tackles and Cosby forced a fumble.
The Raiders had 281 yards of total offense to 273 for the Patriots, as the Silver and Black out-gained them 199-169 through the air, while New England led in rushing with 104 yards to 82.
Las Vegas had no turnovers for the fourth straight game, committed only one penalty for 10-yards, and gave up only two sacks after allowing 13 in the first three games.
This game was the last chance for players who are on the bubble to make an impression on their coaches because NFL teams must cut their rosters down from 80 to the 53-player limit for the regular season by Tuesday at 10 a.m. (EDT).
The Raiders open the 2022 regular season on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 1:25 p.m. (PDT) against their longtime AFC West rivals, Los Angeles Chargers, at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The series dates to the first season of the American Football League in 1960.
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