Tag: Raiders vs. Patriots preseason

Raiders winners and losers in 23-6 preseason victory vs. Patriots

Raiders winners and losers in 23-6 preseason victory vs. Patriots

The Raiders beat the Patriots on Friday, 23-6, to stay undefeated as the preseason came to a close. But that wasn’t the most encouraging part of the game for coach Josh McDaniels.

The Patriots played a lot of starters while the Raiders’ lineup was led by backups. Las Vegas dominated, anyway, especially on defense, as New England’s starting quarterback, Mac Jones, played well into the second quarter.

The Raiders were unfazed and jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back. Here are this week’s winners and losers for the Raiders, with some winners perhaps earning a spot on the 53-man roster.

Winner: Raiders defense

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham watched his defense take on the Patriots’ starting offense and meet the challenge, despite deploying second and third-string players.

On the game’s first series, the Patriots went three-and-out and lost nine yards. Linebackers Luke Masterson and Darien Butler set the tone, combining on a tackle for loss on the game’s second play. Defensive end Malcolm Koonce added a sack soon after that to finish the drive.

That was the theme all evening long, regardless of who was in the game. Las Vegas lived in the Patriots’ backfield and ended up forcing three turnovers. In the final warmup for the regular season, Graham’s group looks ready to go.

Winner: DE Tashawn Bower

Tashawn Bower followed his impressive game last week against the Dolphins with an even better performance to close the preseason, possibly earning a roster spot in the process.

Bower notched two QB sacks, a QB hit, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and five total tackles. One of his plays was a two-for-one, as he got to Patriots QB Brian Hoyer for a strip-sack.

Bower did all he could to convince McDaniels he deserves a spot on the Raiders’ Week 1 roster. Now, he’ll have to wait and see if it was enough. I think he makes the cut, however. And if he doesn’t, another team will be happy to have him.

Winner: LB Luke Masterson

Masterson had a hand in the defense’s banner day, intercepting a pass from Jones. He got some help from defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr., who supplied pressure, and Masterson added a nifty return after his INT.

There are a lot of linebackers competing for backup spots in Las Vegas, and Masterson separated himself from the rest field during this game. He also made several special teams tackles, which only strengthened his case for making the 53-man roster.

Winner: WR Tyron Johnson

Just in case his status on the Raiders’ Week 1 roster was in doubt, wide receiver Tyron Johnson reminded everyone why he’s a near lock to make the squad, thanks to his blazing speed.

He hauled in a 45-yard reception from quarterback Chase Garbers, and Johnson would have likely scored a touchdown with a better throw.

It was a surprise to see Johnson play in the final preseason game, but he made a statement. His fellow wideout, Keelan Cole, also made an appearance and had a solid game. But I still expect each player to make the cut, despite a challenge from WR D.J. Turner.

Winner: DE Malcolm Koonce

This week’s final winner is Malcolm Koonce. He played well to start the preseason, but Bower has had more flashy moments on the edge lately. Koonce got back on track with his sack on the game’s initial series.

Koonce had some help from Jones, who tried to escape the pocket but ran right into the Raiders’ DE. But Koonce is paid to cause havoc in the backfield, and that’s what he did on this play.

Loser: DE Clelin Ferrell

Former first-round pick Clelin Ferrell has battled an injury for weeks and finally saw action against the Patriots. The problem for Ferrell is that it’s impossible to tell he played by looking at the box score.

He didn’t record a single stat, and I didn’t see him flash much playmaking ability, though he must have contributed to the defense’s strong performance on some level.

But could this be the end of the road for Ferrell in Las Vegas? With strong performances from Bower, Koonce, and others, and a new regime in town, it certainly could be.

Loser: OT Alex Leatherwood

I didn’t want to put Leatherwood on the losers list again. But he left me with little choice. He had multiple embarrassingly-bad plays, most notably getting pushed back and thrown to the ground by an undrafted free agent near the end of the first half.

I don’t know what the Raiders plan to do with Leatherwood, but he needs a lot of practice and perhaps some sort of reset with his fundamentals. He’s too physically gifted to play so poorly. At least the Raiders starting line looked solid against New England, minus star left tackle Kolton Miller, who is being saved for the regular season.

Overall, the Raiders’ preseason was a smashing success. They went 4-0 and McDaniels’ bunch looked well-versed in new schemes on offense and defense. Plus, they played penalty-free football much of the time and committed just one infraction against New England.

Additionally, the Raiders didn’t commit a turnover in their four preseason triumphs, the first time that’s happened in the NFL since 2011.

But as we all know, these games don’t count. It appears the Raiders improved significantly this week against the Patriots, however, first during their joint practices and then on Friday.

The offensive line looks like it’s coming together, and the defense ended the preseason on a high note. Now it’s up to McDaniels to put a winning roster together, as it’s Super Bowl or bust for QB Derek Carr, WR Davante Adams, DE Maxx Crosby, and the entire franchise.

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Raiders coach Josh McDaniels: Joint practices with Patriots a chance to ‘test where we’re at’

Raiders HC Josh McDaniels on joint practice: Patriots will ‘test where we’re at’

The Raiders are 3-0 in the preseason thus far, and while those games helped create separation at a few position battles, the entire roster hasn’t been tested yet, as only a few starters have seen action against another team.

That’s about to change. Raiders coach Josh McDaniels will test his current team against his old one, the Patriots, in two joint practices in Las Vegas, starting on Tuesday.

Practice sessions such as these allow everyone to see play against a different opponent, unlike preseason games. In the Raiders’ win against the Dolphins, for example, McDaniels’ star players didn’t even make the trip to Miami.

During his Monday conference call with reporters, McDaniels was asked what he hopes to get out of the joint practices with Bill Belichick’s Patriots. Here’s a portion of what he said.

“To go out and really test where we’re at in terms of our overall ability as a unit to perform, whether it’s a special teams unit, defensively, offensively, we’re going to hit a lot of different situations in the next couple days.

“(It) should be an opportunity to really improve our football team and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing.”

McDaniels added that his staff has purposely gone light on scouting the Patriots in advance of the practice sessions as another test of sorts for his team.

“Whatever happens on the field happens, so it’s going to test our ability to communicate on the field and solve problems without a lot of preparation,” McDaniels said.

This will be the first test from another team — and another scheme — for many of the Raiders starters, such as quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Davante Adams. It’s no wonder McDaniels seemed excited when he shared his thoughts about this week.

How well the Raiders perform against the Patriots in practice, or, how poorly, could be the final determining factor for some roster battles, notably along the offensive line and in the secondary. And it will be a great test for Carr and Adams. Their chemistry and skill are expected to help carry Las Vegas to the playoffs.

Just like any practice, it’s a chance for the Raiders to get better, too. In a loaded AFC West, that’ll be a theme all season, not just in August, as McDaniels tries to take the Raiders to another level after a postseason birth last season. And since McDaniels won six Super Bowl rings with the Patriots, they’ll be the perfect initial team-wide test for the upcoming campaign.

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