The Raiders’ preseason opener didn’t exactly give fans a clean first look at the Klint Kubiak era, and the 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals came with plenty of rough edges. Still, this was August football, not a reason to hit the panic button. What matters now is what Las Vegas can take from it - and there was no shortage of lessons.
For a young team, there were a few encouraging signs mixed in with the mistakes. The Silver and Black also appeared to come out of the game relatively healthy, which counts for something this time of year. But the bigger story was the uneven night on both sides of the ball.
Fernando Mendoza was one of the bright spots. The rookie wasn’t flawless, but he showed enough to get Raider Nation paying attention, working tight-window throws, using his legs and staying composed under pressure.
Kirk Cousins and the first-team offense also gave the Raiders something to build on. Kubiak kept the playbook fairly simple, Brock Bowers never touched the ball, and yet the opening unit still moved the chains and finished with a score. The front looked stronger, and Cousins did a nice job distributing the ball.
There were also encouraging performances from a couple of pass catchers who needed them. Jack Bech, after a quiet training camp, caught all three of his targets for 25 yards and a touchdown.
He showed up where it mattered most, working third downs and the red zone. Michael Mayer got involved, too, hauling in both of his targets for 19 yards and turning the second catch into a touchdown with a sharp move after the catch.
Not everyone had the same kind of night. Aidan O'Connell had a hard time with the third-team offense, and the group around him never really settled in. He completed just 4-for-13 passing, and the unit looked out of sync too often to sustain anything meaningful.
One of the most electric plays of the night came from rookie Mike Washington Jr. The fourth-rounder ripped off a 53-yard run after a strong block from Charles Grant, and he also flashed as a receiver on a dump-down that was later wiped out. He added another useful moment by converting a key short-yardage situation near the goal line.
The defense, though, was a different story. Without Maxx Crosby on the field, Rob Leonard’s group had trouble creating pressure, stopping the run or keeping Arizona from doing damage through the air. The Cardinals scored touchdowns on all three of their first-half drives, converted every third down and didn’t throw an incompletion.
The young cornerbacks had a rough time as part of that collapse. Jermod McCoy allowed two first-half touchdowns on nearly identical routes and gave up several other completions. Darien Porter was charged with another score, while Zeke Masses allowed multiple catches and missed a few tackle attempts.
Special teams didn’t help much either. Kansei Matsuzawa, the IPP kicker known as "The Tokyo Toe," sent his lone kickoff short of the landing zone and out of bounds, then missed a 38-yard field goal just wide right.
The final issue was discipline. The Raiders cleaned some things up in the second half, but they still finished with eight penalties for 75 yards, drawing flags in all three phases and repeatedly putting themselves behind the sticks.
In Other News...
Raiders Turned A Preseason Game Into A Family Moment Fans Loved
A preseason game usually gives teams a chance to sort out roster battles and timing, but the Raiders found a sweeter subplot against the Arizona Cardinals. Fernando Mendozas younger brother, Max, got a spot in the broadcast booth during the game, showing up in Fernandos No. 15 jersey and joining veteran broadcasters for a moment that felt bigger than the scoreboard.
For Max, it was a chance to live out a dream of experiencing sports broadcasting, and the organization helped make it happen. The scene quickly resonated with fans, who shared and embraced the moment as one of those rare sports stories that feels personal, playful and very much in the spirit of the Raiders family. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Broadcast Moment Says Everything About Aidan OConnell Right Now
In the middle of a preseason broadcast, Raiders analyst Kirk Morrison had one of those on-air moments that instantly felt bigger than the game itself. Seeing AOC trending on social media, Morrison briefly assumed the chatter was about quarterback Aidan OConnell, a reminder of just how much the young passer is starting to occupy the Raiders conversation even before the real stakes of the season arrive.
The mix-up quickly turned into a shared social media punchline once Morrison realized the trend was actually about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Still, the reaction said plenty about where OConnell sits right now in Las Vegas: not a forgotten backup, but a player whose initials are prominent enough to trigger a football-first instinct from a broadcast booth. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Tackle Battle Just Took A Big Turn Under Klint Kubiak
The Raiders offensive line got a clearer look under new coach Klint Kubiak, and the early signs were encouraging. In a recent game, the group showed a level of improvement that stood out after a summer of sorting through options, with young tackles D.J. Glaze and Charles Grant both earning strong grades from Pro Football Focus for their work.
That matters because Las Vegas is still trying to settle the picture up front, where several linemen are being evaluated for starting jobs. Kolton Miller remains a key part of the equation despite some durability concerns, but the bigger question is how the Raiders map out the rest of the tackle spot as Kubiaks system takes hold and the competition starts to sharpen. [Read more 🡒]