Raiders fall in preseason tilt.
Oakland only nets seven first downs and 187 yards of total offense
The Raiders didn’t excite anybody with their lackluster performance in Thursday’s exhibition loss to the Green Bay Packers.
The offense looked asleep at the wheel, the defense was gashed on the opening drive for the second straight week and the backups couldn’t come to the rescue in a 20-12 loss at Lambeau Field.
“Not the kind of sharp showing we’re looking for,” coach Jack Del Rio told reporters. “A lot of things we can learn from and move on. That’s what we have to do.”
The Raiders played their starters for the entire first half Thursday, while Packers sat many of their top line players, most notably quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Green Bay built a 20-3 lead, which included a long 14-play drive to open the game in which Eddie Lacy powered his way to 45 yards rushing.
Oakland managed all of 187 yards of offense and seven first downs in the loss, while picking up 10 more penalties for 96 yards.
Here’s what we learned from the Raiders’ second preseason game:
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Offense off-track: The Raiders got just four first downs and 73 total yards of their starting
offense.
Oakland isn’t running its full playbook, but when you’ve got a talented roster, you want to see that physical ability take over and lead to some plays.
Quarterback Derek Carr has now led seven drives in two preseason games and the Raiders have just six points to show for it. He completed 9 of 13 passes, but only for 38 yards and threw an interception. That may not mean much come the regular season, but points are always nice to see.
It’s all vanilla: The gameplanning hasn’t started yet, so it’s always prudent to not read too much into these preseason games.
Del Rio wasn’t concerned with his team’s defensive scheme when the Packers easily drove down for the opening touchdown. He felt his team just needed to get its pad level down and get off blocks.
“It was really pretty simple,” Del Rio said in a halftime interview on the television broadcast. “They weren’t doing anything. It’s a preseason game. They were running stretches and bootlegs. We settled down and played a little better.”
Mack attack: If there’s anybody on the roster who could’ve watched this one from his couch, it’s Khalil Mack. But he was out there with the starters for the whole first half looking like his dominant self.
Mack put a hit on Packers quarterback Brett Hundley, who started in place of Rodgers, that took him out of the game. He also delivered a ferocious sack on Joe Callahan and finished with four tackles.
THREE WHO HELPED THEMSELVES
Dan Williams: He’s been stuck behind Justin Ellis since reporting to camp on the heavy side. But the two rotated drives at nose tackle and went threeand- out every time Williams was out there in the first half.
He doesn’t deserve all the credit for that, but the fact that he finally got some first-team repetitions against and the defense played well with him out there is a good sign.
Shilique Calhoun: The third-round pick from Michigan State showed off some of his natural ability.
He did a solid job setting the edge a couple of times and in the fourth quarter got in to the backfield for his first NFL sack. On the play, he rushed free off the left side, changed directions along with Packers quarterback Marquise Williams and wrapped his paws around him for the sack.
Brynden Trawick: The former Baltimore Raven was signed for his special teams ability, but a crowded roster doesn’t make his roster spot guaranteed. He helped his case when he came free and laid out to block a Packers punt that Nate Allen jumped on for a fourthquarter touchdown.
THREE WHO HURT THEMSELVES
Antonio Hamilton: The undrafted rookie cornerback was a stud return man in college at South Carolina State. He got his first chance to show something with a second- quarter punt return, but didn’t go after the ball and let it bounce to take away his chance to a return.
It may be cruel, but some of these players will only get one chance like that to show something. He also got called for a special teams penalty.
Jaydon Mickens: Mick- ens also needs to create some juice as a returner, because the wide receiver opportunities are going to be slim. He too got just one chance and muffed the punt. There was a Raiders penalty on the play anyway, but anyone who can’t hold on to the ball isn’t going to get a good shot to make the team.
Matt McCants: He’s essentially the fourth offensive tackle for the Raiders. If they keep nine offensive linemen, his job should be safe. But if they only go with eight, it’ll probably come down to McCants and seventh-round pick Vadal Alexander.
McCants could’ve have made Del Rio happy with a personal foul penalty for instigating. Alexander had his own 15-yard flag, a facemask after Connor Cook threw an interception. That’s more tolerable than a post-whistle flag.