Tag: las vegas raiders vs minnesota vikings

Vikings QB JJ McCarthy suffers torn meniscus in preseason opener vs Raiders

Vikings QB JJ McCarthy tore meniscus in preseason opener vs Raiders

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell announced today that rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy complained of knee soreness over the weekend following the team’s preseason opener against the Raiders on Saturday. MRI results have revealed he has a torn meniscus that will require surgery to repair it.

How much time McCarthy will miss will depend on the severity of the injury. According to those familiar with such injuries, if it’s just a trim of the meniscus, he would miss several weeks. If it’s a repair that is needed, he could miss his entire rookie season.

McCarthy didn’t start the game on Saturday. Sam Darnold did. But Darnold played just one drive before McCarthy entered the game late in the first quarter and played through the third quarter, playing a total of 30 snaps in the game.

The Vikings selected McCarthy at 10th overall out of Michigan. Just three spots ahead of the Raiders who picked at 13. McCarthy was the fifth quarterback off the board and one of six taken in the top 12 picks.

Ballers from Raiders preseason Week 1 vs Vikings

The positive standout performances from the Raiders first preseason game.

Welcome to year 17 of Ballers & Busters. The first ever B&B came out in preseason of 2008. So, let’s get it going for 2024, shall we?

There was a lot to like about what we saw from the Raiders first preseason action of 2024. They went on four scoring drives in the first half and held the Vikings to one to take a 20-7 halftime lead.

Things went awry in the second half, but, hey, preseason.

That being said, since the preseason tends to focus a lot on individual performances, let’s get to it.

Keep in mind, there are no Top Ballers or Top Busters for preseason. I pretty much just listed them in order of appearance.

S Tre’von Moehrig

After giving up a 19-yard catch on the second play, Moehrig settled in. He made two run stops on that same drive and had tight coverage for an incompletion on third and two from the four-yard line. The second Vikings drive, Moehrig made what could’ve been a touchdown saving tackle, stopping a run at 16 yards. He finished with a team-leading six tackles, all solo.

CB Jakorian Bennett

With the Vikings in 4th and two from the four, they went for it and Bennett was there to break up the attempt in the end zone to hold the Vikings scoreless on their opening drive and give the Raiders the ball back.

WR Jakobi Meyers

On third and three on the first drive, Meyers got open deep and made a leaping 24-yard grab. The next play he made the catch on a zero route in the left flat, stepped away from a tackler and ran for eight yards. Two plays later, in third and three, Aidan O’Connell looked for him again and he made a 13-yard catch to put the Raiders in Minnesota territory. One play later, they were in field goal range.

CB Jack Jones

The Raiders took a 3-0 lead into the second quarter. In third and eight, the Raiders blitzed, forcing JJ McCarthy to make a quick decision. He thought he had a man open, but Jack Jones undercut the route and picked off the pass, giving the Raiders the ball back. Jones then took his ball and went home (the sideline).

WR Tre Tucker

The offense came in after the turnover, this time with Gardner Minshew at QB. The second play saw Tucker make an adjustment on a pass slightly behind him on a cross, to make the catch for 29 yards. The next drive, he made an even more impressive adjustment. Going deep, he was turned inside, but the pass was headed to his outside shoulder, so he turned away from the pass, relocated it in the air and then laid out to make the catch for 44 yards. The Raiders would score touchdowns on both drives. The second one, Tucker laid a key block for Zamir White to run it in. He added a nice punt return at the end of the half as well.

QB Gardner Minshew

All three Minshew possessions, the Raiders scored. The first two for touchdowns. The first drive featured a 29-yard pass to Tre Tucker and a scramble for seven yards on third and three. The touchdown was on a perfect strike to DJ Turner at the right pylon. The second TD drive he aire out for a 44-yard connection with Tucker and found Cole Fotheringham for 11 yards on third and six. He finished 6/12 for 117 yards and one TD with a passer rating of 112.2.

LB Amari Burney

Burney came to play. The 2023 sixth round pick clearly set out to let everyone know he was still here. His biggest play was late in the third quarter, when he ended a drive by coming up to make a stop at the line for no gain on third and one. That was his third run stuff of the day. The first went for a loss and the other for one yard. His four tackles in the game were tied for second on the team. He even had a QB hit in the game.

P AJ Cole

In the second half, when nothing was working for the Raiders on offense, Cole would come in an remind them that at least he can tilt the field. He had two punts of 60 yards – one that was fair caught at the 14 –, one for 56 yards that went out of bounds at the five, and one that went 43 yards that was fair caught at the 11. Weapon.

Honorable Mention

DE Malcolm Koonce – Had a run stop for no gain and a pressure leading to an incompletion on the first drive.

QB Aidan O’Connell – Went 7/9 for 76 yards on the opening drive, twice converting on third down.

LB Robert Spillane – Put on the pressure that rushed McCarthy into his throw that Jack Jones picked off.

WR DJ Turner – Beat his man and streaked toward the end zone to score the Raiders first touchdown of the day from 20 yards out.

DT TJ Franklin – Blocked a field goal attempt in the second quarter.

S Phalen Sanford – Caught the ball off the Franklin blocked field goal and returned it 42 yards to the Minnesota 40-yard-line.

K Daniel Carlson – Lined up for a 56-yard field goal off the blocked field goal and return and nailed it to give the Raiders a 20-7 lead. Carlson hit two other chipshot field goals in the game.

Continue to the Busters…

Busters for Raiders Preseason Week 1 vs Vikings

Raiders who didn’t make a great impression in their Preseason opener vs Vikings

There were many standout performances for the Raiders in their preseason opener in Minnesota. These are the wrong kind of standouts.

Busters

T Andrus Peat 

The nice looking first drive was ended when Peat couldn’t keep Dallas Turner out of the backfield. First Turner laid a hard hit on O’Connell just after he released the ball. Then in third and goal from the three, Turner beat Peat again to sack O’Connell.

DT Byron Young

Young was abused on the first three plays he was in the game. He gave up a seven-yard run, then was blocked into the ground to give up the first down run, and then gave up a 16-yard run that only saved from being much worse because of a Tre’von Moehrig ankle tackle.

S Jaydon Grant

The defense bent but didn’t break on their first two drives. They broke on the third one. Grant was late getting over to give up a 48-yard touchdown run. The next drive, Grant gave up a 21-yard catch.

LB Luke Masterson

Grant was the last line of defense on that 48-yard TD run. Masterson was the first. That was his gap and he wasn’t there. The next drive, he came on the blitz on third and five but missed the sack to give up a nine-yard scramble.

RB Dylan Laube

Laube was twice needed to keep an oncoming rusher from getting to the QB, and both times failed to do so. He gave up two sacks on Brown. The second time, Laube was sent into a backward somersault. Laube had a total of eight yards rushing in the game and that came on a 13-yard run on third and 19. So, it was a give up play. On the other three runs, he had a total of -5 yards. His one return went for 16 yards and was stopped at the 19-yard-line.

QB Anthony Brown

From the moment he took the field, he looked out of his depth. He looked paralyzed, second guessing everything. Nothing looked smooth and he was unable to make corrections when things broke down. And they were breaking down. The first six plays featured no completions, two sacks and a delay of game penalty. In his four possessions, he had one completion for 24 yards, five scrambles for 13 yards, was sacked four times, and fumbled a snap.

S Trey Taylor

The Vikings scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the third quarter. The first saw Taylor give up a 15-yard catch on third and nine. The second, Taylor was caught peeking in the backfield as his man ran by him for a wide open 33-yard touchdown.

G Corey Luciano

Luciano gave up the second sack on Brown when he didn’t switch on a stunt. Then he gave up the third sack in the same fashion.

C Ben Brown

After the Raiders went down 21-20 in the third quarter, they failed to answer because Brown was flagged for holding and then on third and 21, while Luciano was not switching up on the stunt, Brown was literally ran right by the guy, blocking no one.

TE Zach Gentry

Twice in the third quarter Gentry was tasked with run blocking and gave up the stuff. The first for no gain. The second for a loss of four on third and goal from the one.

Also see the BALLERS…

Raiders vs Vikings preseason Week 1 recap: Raiders give up 20-7 halftime lead to fall 24-23

Raiders give up 20-7 halftime lead to fall 24-23 to Vikings in preseason opener

If you consider the most important football in a preseason game happens in the early going, the Raiders won this one. Even though technically, in the end, the final score didn’t reflect that.

The Raiders didn’t sit any of their starters who were available to play in the game. All expected starters were in for the first quarter before giving way to the second teamers in the second quarter.

The Vikings got the ball first and drove inside the ten. Then on 4th and two, they went for it and the Raiders made the stop to take over at their own four-yard-line.

Aidan O’Connell came in at quarterback to start the game for the Raiders, and he led them right down the first for the score. The offense went 83 yards on 15 plays with O’Connell completing seven of nine passes; three to Jakobi Meyers and two to rookie TE Brock Bowers.

On third and goal, left tackle Andrus Peat was beaten to give up the sack on O’Connell and the Raiders settled for a field goal.

An interception on the ensuing Vikings drive early in the second, brought in Gardner Minshew. The veteran led the Raiders 76 yards for the touchdown, finishing it off with a nice looking connection with DJ Turner for the score and a 10-0 Raiders lead.

A 48-yard run by Vikings RB K Nwangu would make the score 10-7.

Minshew came back out and connected with Tre Tucker on a deep ball, with Tucker laying out for a brilliant 44-yard grab. Zamir White finished off the drive with a walk-in touchdown run up the middle to take a 17-7 lead.

The Vikings would drive into field goal range, but the attempt was blocked by TJ Franklin and caught in the air by Phalen Sanford who returned it 42 yards to the Minnesota 40. The Raiders used the field position to add another field goal before the half to make it a 20-7 lead.

Things completely fell apart for the Raiders in the second half. On both sides of the ball. Anthony Brown came in at quarterback and didn’t get his first completion until the third possession.

Meanwhile the Raiders defense was getting torched. First with rookie MJ Devonshire biting on a double move to give up a deep TD pass up the left side, then with fellow rookie safety Trey Taylor peeking into the backfield to give up a wide open 33-yard touchdown.

And just like that, the Raiders 20-7 lead was a 21-20 deficit.

Late in the third, the Raiders got a huge punt by AJ Cole and a stop by the defense to give them solid field position. First down runs by Anthony Brown and Sincere McCormick put them in scoring range. But on third and goal from the one, McCormick was stuffed for a three-yard loss and the Raiders settled for a field goal and a 23-21 lead.

Carter Bradley entered at QB midway through the fourth quarter. Antonio Pierce was just trying to run clock, having Bradley hand it off on his first six plays with no first downs.

Eventually the Vikings were able to mount enough offense in the final seconds to get into field goal range and hit a 38-yard field goal to get the 24-23 win.

Gardner Minshew 6/12, 117 yards, 1 TD, 112.2 rating

Aidan O’Connell 7/9, 76 yards, 101.9 rating

Zamir White 6 rushes, 23 yards (3.8 ypc), 1 TD

Sincer McCrormick, 8 rushes, 30 yards (3.8 ypc)

Tre Tucker 2 catches, 73 yards

Jakobi Meyers 3 catches, 45 yards

Brock Bowers 2 catches, 25 yards

Tre’von Moehrig 6 tackles (6 solo)

WATCH: Raiders WR Tre Tucker with incredible diving grab

WATCH: Raiders WR Tre Tucker with incredible diving grab

We had heard all offseason about the progress Tre Tucker had made this offseason. But we didn’t see a whole lot of it in camp. On the Raiders third drive of their preseason opener in Minnesota, we saw it. And…wow.

With the Raiders at their own 25, up 10-7, Tre Tucker went deep. Gardner Minshew launched it and Tucker went and got it.

As impressive as the full extension for Tucker was his adjustment with the ball in the air. He turned away and took his eyes off the ball, then relocated it in the air, laid out and made the grab 44 yards down the field.

Six plays later, the Raiders were in the end zone again on a Zamir White run up the middle to take a 17-7 lead.

Tucker has two catches in the game for 73 yards to lead the Raiders. Minshew is five of eight for 114 yards and a touchdown.

WATCH: Gardner Minshew drives Raiders for touchdown on pretty throw to DJ Turner

WATCH: Gardner Minshew drives Raiders for touchdown on pretty throw to DJ Turner

Aidan O’Connell got the ball first and put on a show, leading the Raiders 83 yards down the field on 15 plays. But it would end with a field goal after a sack on third-and-goal.

The plan was for Gardner Minshew to play the second quarter. And when Jack Jones picked off Vikings QB JJ McCarthy, Minshew day began.

Minshew had a tough act to follow after O’Connell completed seven of nine passes for 76 yards.

The veteran Minshew had a long completion to Tre Tucker to get things started. Then he followed up a high incompletion for Kristian Wilkerson by tucking it and running for the first down.

Then he finished it off with a gorgeous pass to DJ Turner for the score.

Turner has been…turning some heads in camp and he showed why right there.

As for the QB competition, those two drives still put them pretty much neck-and-neck. Good to see it because of both playing well.

Aidan O’Connell gets start, leads Raiders to opening drive score vs Vikings

Aidan O’Connell gets start, leads Raiders to opening drive score vs Vikings

Antonio Pierce has been tight lipped about who would start the Raiders preseason opener in Minnesota. All was revealed when Aidan O’Connell took the field with the starting offense. And he was dealing.

O’Connell led a 15-play, 83-yard drive, including this 24-yard pass to Jakobi Meyers.

Meyers led the team in receiving on that opening drive with three catches for 45 yards.

O’Connell completed seven of nine passes on the drive, for 76 yards. Three of his completions went to tight ends, two to rookie Brock Bowers.

The Raiders drove all the way to inside ten-yard line, but in third and goal, O’Connell was sacked, leading to Daniel Carlson entering to convert a field goal to make it a 3-0 Raiders lead.

Raiders preseason Week 1 vs Vikings: What to watch for

What to watch for in Raiders preseason opener in Minnesota

It’s game day. For the first time in over seven months, the Raiders take the field for a game. This first outing is their preseason opener in Minnesota.

The game will air on NFL Network at 1pm Pacific (3pm local, 4pm ET). You can see all the details of how to watch here.

For that, here are a few things to watch for.

Quarterback competition

This is the number one reason to tune in by a wide margin. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell will each get a quarter of play. Antonio Pierce has not revealed who will take the field first, but the order will be flipped next week when the face the Cowboys in Las Vegas.

What does matter here is we could get to see one QB against Vikings starters and the other against backups and fringe players. As in most cases the expected starters play very little in the first preseason matchup, if at all.

This competition has been raging on through training camp and to anyone watching, Minshew has a clear lead between the two, if only a slight one. It’s not decisive, which is why O’Connell still has a chance to come charging back in the competition with his play in preseason and the remaining practices before the season begins.

Rookie standouts

Raiders fans are no doubt excited to get to see 13th overall pick Brock Bowers take the field for the first time. There are obviously high hopes for the decorated tight end out of Georgia and Napa California native. 

The rest of the class has some guys hoping to continue their fine play from the camp in the preseason. Including Round three tackle DJ Glaze, Round four cornerback Decamerion Richardson, Round five linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, Round six running back Dylan Laube, round seven CB MJ Devonshire, and undrafted receiver Ramel Keyton.

Kick returns

This year the kick returner job is far more exciting due to the new kickoff rules.For that reason, it will be very interesting to see how the Raiders handle it and specifically *who* handles it. The previously mentioned Dylan Laube figures to find a role there, but others have gotten work there as well, including Ameer Abdullah and even cornerback Jack Jones.

As far as how Daniel Carlson changes his kicking strategy, I would be surprised if he reveals much about that in this game. Best to keep it status quo before the games count. Gotta keep Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers guessing until the season opener.

Next men up

Often times the entrenched starters won’t play in the preseason opener. But some will not play for other reasons. Left tackle Kolton Miller is on the PUP list, as is rookie left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson. Davante Adams was absent the last week of camp because he was home in Las Vegas awaiting the birth of his child.

Stepping up for those three will be three veterans: Andrus Peat (LT), Cody Whitehair (LG), and Kristian Wilkerson (WR).

Other game coverage:

How to watch Raiders preseason Week 2 vs Vikings

5 Raiders battles to watch on offense in preseason opener in Minnesota

5 Raiders battles to watch on offense in preseason opener in Minnesota

9 players who opened some eyes at Raiders camp

Raiders preseason opener will be ‘very telling’ in QB competition

Breaking down Raiders first unofficial depth chart of preseason

Winners from Raiders training camp scrimmage

5 Raiders defensive position battles to watch in preseason opener in Minnesota

Defense will be the strength of this Raiders team and there’s a lot of returning starters. But the preseason isn’t really about entrenched starters. It’s about hopefuls and those looking to be the guy who, if called upon, would keep the group from …

Defense will be the strength of this Raiders team and there’s a lot of returning starters. But the preseason isn’t really about entrenched starters. It’s about hopefuls and those looking to be the guy who, if called upon, would keep the group from missing a beat.

With that in mind, here are the top five positions battles to watch when the Raiders take on the Vikings on Saturday.

How to buy Las Vegas Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings NFL Week 14 tickets

Want to watch Raiders vs. Vikings in person? Tickets still remain for this Week 14 matchup of playoff hopefuls.

The Las Vegas Raiders are rested, coming off their Week-13 bye.

Next up, the Raiders host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Dec. 10 at 4:05 p.m. EST.

Want to watch the Raiders in person this weekend? Check out Vivid Seats to find the perfect Las Vegas Raiders tickets for you and anybody else you want sitting beside you as Las Vegas looks to get a big win

As of publication, the cheapest available Raiders vs. Vikings tickets were priced at $210.

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