Raiders win the Hall of Fame game
The Las Vegas Raiders gave coach Josh McDaniels a successful homecoming in his debut on their sideline.
Josh Jacobs, rookie Zamir White and Austin Walter ran well on a rainsoaked field and the Raiders routed Jacksonville 27-11 in the Hall of Fame game Thursday night in Canton, Ohio, spoiling coach Doug Pederson’s first game with the Jaguars.
Derek Carr and Davante Adams warmed up but they didn’t get a chance to play their first game together since Fresno State. Carr, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, and Adams, the All-Pro receiver acquired in blockbuster trade with Green Bay, were among many starters who sat out for both teams.
Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence wore a backward cap on the sideline while third-string quarterback Jake Luton was started.
The NFL’s first preseason game began 40 minutes late due to severe weather that forced fans to seek shelter.
• Diontae Johnson watched the wide receiver market explode during the offseason. The dollar amounts were so staggering they were impossible for Johnson to ignore as he entered contract negotiations with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“You see the numbers,” Johnson said. “But I wasn’t trying to look at everybody’s pockets.”
Johnson was trying to get back to his job. One he returned to full time after agreeing to a new three-year contract worth more than $39 million. That’s a lot of money to be sure, just not on par with some of the other megadeals his higher-profile brethren have signed in recent weeks.
That’s fine by Johnson.
“I took the right deal,” said Johnson, a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2021 after posting career highs in receptions (107), yards (1,161) and touchdowns (eight).
• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has handed off Deshaun Watson’s discipline case to a lawyer with league connections and expertise in domestic violence and sexual assault.
Goodell chose former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to hear the league’s appeal of the sixgame suspension without pay given to Cleveland’s quarterback, whose playing status hangs in the balance.
Watson was suspended this week by independent disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson, who concluded he violated the league’s personal conduct policy after being accused of sexual misconduct by two dozen women in Texas.
The league wanted further discipline and appealed Robinson’s ruling on Wednesday. Watson had just finished practice and was still on the field when he learned of the league’s move. pants and Wednesday I wore Alison Lee’s pants. Today I’m wearing FootJoy pants.”
Shibuno, the 2019 champion, made birdies on the first three holes and went on to card eight in total in her 65.