The Las Vegas Raiders lost to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, 22-19. They had the lead with 38 seconds left before Jake Moody (yes, that Jake Moody) kicked two field goals to win the game. Of course, a late interception didn’t help matters here, giving San Francisco solid field position.
Overall, it was a heartbreaking loss for the Raiders. Sure, it might’ve been a preseason game. However, you don’t want to lose to your former Bay Area rival at any juncture.
You want to defeat them and have those bragging rights for another year. Last year, nobody got those rights as the game ended in a tie. However, that wasn’t the case as the Raiders blew a 19-16 lead against the 49ers.
So let’s look at some takeaways from Saturday’s game. What three things stood out from Saturday’s heartbreaking loss to an old rival? Who broke out and solidified themselves as legitimate pieces to the puzzle?
1.) Ashton Jeanty ATE for the Las Vegas Raiders
Seven carries for 33 yards might not look like much on the stat sheet. However, Ashton Jeanty got a touchdown in the game. He also had a big 13-yard gain in the game, getting a first down for Las Vegas.
That’s a better showing than the last game, where he had -1 rushing yards. Of course, one can point to this being a preseason game and say it doesn’t matter as much. However, that’s not the case here.
The 49ers have Robert Saleh back in the mix and that makes life harder for any opposing offense. Imagine what Jeanty can do to any starting defense if given reps during the regular season.
2.) The Raiders must do better with running out the clock
Now, part of this falls on Pete Carroll for not running the ball (hmm… I wonder where I’ve heard that before). He must do better with managing the clock and ensuring you don’t lose.
But throwing to an open defender with less than a minute left isn’t ideal. Sure, you can’t run the ball with less than 20 seconds left.
However, are you drawing up a play that puts the defense at an advantage? If you do that against a team like the Kansas City Chiefs, you’re signing your death warrant. Carroll and company must be careful here in the future.
3.) Overall, the starters looked great
One can point to Jeanty and say this was a strong performance in a limited time. However, he wasn’t the only starter who looked great for the Raiders.
Brock Bowers had a 28-yard reception for a first down. Isaiah Pola-Mao had four total tackles in another strong showing. Most importantly, Geno Smith went 6-for-8 for 55 yards.
This was a strong showing from the starters that should inspire Raiders fans heading into the season. If Las Vegas can iron out some things on the management end, it should be a dark horse in the AFC playoff picture.
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
