The Oakland Raiders 14-3 victory on Saturday night was their first of the preseason. Both teams should have been well familiar with each other due to joint practices earlier in the week. The Raiders and Rams decided not to play their key players in the first preseason game. Quarterbacks Mike Glennon (Raiders) and Blake Bortles (Rams) got the start.
Backup quarterback battle
Mike Glennon got the start and got off to a good start. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 200 yards. Glennon threw some beautiful passes in the first half and looked comfortable in the pocket. What hurt Glennon was two costly interceptions. The first interception was a pass thrown late over the middle to Ryan Grant. On his second interception, Glennon threw a pass behind Derek Carrier in the end zone. The interceptions ruined Glennon's performance.
Nathan Peterman played a pretty game strong game going completing nine out of his 12 passes for 66 yards. Peterman looked comfortable in the pocket as well and was safe with the ball, which is crucial for Peterman. Peterman also added a nice 51-yard scramble in the game. Head Coach Jon Gruden has been a big supporter of Peterman in training camp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHkOO9sszrY
Alec Ingold could win the fullback job
Keith Smith and Alec Ingold are in a battle for the starting fullback job. Smith is out with a knee injury, and Ingold is taking advantage of the extra reps. On Saturday, Ingold caught four passes for 22 yards as a dump-off receiver in the flat. Ingold also showed physicality and toughness as a lead blocker in the Raiders run game. Most of the teams in the NFL don't not carry a fullback, but Gruden is old school so he likes to use fullbacks for blocking and catching passes out the backfield.
The Raiders receiving core is deep
The Raiders rebuilt the receiving core this off-season. Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams will be the starters, but after that, there are a lot of good players fighting for jobs. J.J Nelson had an impressive catch Saturday night on a 38-yard pass play down the field. Ryan Grant, who has been outplayed in campo by rookie Hunter Renfrow, also played well. Grant caught three passes for 32 yards; he showed he could be a valuable slot receiver as well. Keon Hatcher led the team with 45 yards on two catches. It is safe to say, there will be some tough cuts on "Cut Down Day" for the Oakland Raiders.
Punter battle
Johnny Townsend and undrafted rookie A.J Cole are battling for the punter job. Townsend booted a 55-yard punt on Saturday but also punted one just 34 yards. Punts like that have been the story of Townsend's short career as a Raider. Undrafted rookie A.J Cole has been the most consistent punter out of the two in training camp. Cole was able to angle two kicks downed inside the 20-yard line, and none of his punts were returned. The punter job should be Cole's job to lose at this point.
A 14-3 Raiders victory was not exciting but a win is a win even if it is in the preseason. The Silver and Black hit the road at Arizona Thursday night in the second preseason game of the year 5 p.m. PST.
