LAS VEGAS -- It’s officially dress rehearsal day for the Las Vegas Raiders.
On Thursday, the Raiders have their final opportunity to make a splash when the San Francisco 49ers roll into town for the preseason finale.
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, NV
Date: Thursday, August 27
Time: 5:00 pm PST
How To Watch: ESPN
Radio: 1340 AM, 94.7 FM
With training camp officially over and done with, this game represents the final major event before Sunday’s roster cutoff date. Only 53 players will find themselves on the roster, but others will have a chance to make themselves priorities for the practice squad. All of this makes a strong final impression all the more crucial, forcing Klint Kubiak, John Spytek and the rest of the Raiders braintrust into difficult decisions.
Rise to the challenge
While the offense has shown flashes in camp and throughout preseason, this will be the opportunity to see who can be trusted with the ball on Sundays.
Not only will Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza get one more chance to finalize their “battle,” but Aidan O’Connell and even Jacob Clark could get some reps to see where they fit into the puzzle. Ashton Jeanty’s injury ramps up the pressure on Mike Washington and the rest of the running back room, while Kubiak has been on record saying he is looking for someone to make a difference in the wide receiver corps. With all of these challenges going on and so little reps to succeed, every player who sees the field on Thursday is going to need to maximize their minutes.
Defense in sync
It feels through two preseason games as though the defense can appear disjointed at times, with some groups doing well while others struggle.
The pass rushers have gotten some juice later on in games, while the second game against the Houston Texans showed serious improvement from the secondary. However, run defense has still posed some problems, and the consistency from the major rotational players on the defensive line has needed to be more visible. With plenty of spots on the line, maybe that added layer of desperation is what is needed for all levels of the defense to not only play well together, but do so throughout the entire game.
Show some discipline
Seventeen penalties. That is how many the Raiders are sitting at through two preseason games.
Coaches such as Kubiak and Joe DeCamillis have had no issue calling out the penalty issue, and this is the final opportunity to put together a clean game. Once the games start to count, the penalty yardage will add up and only put the Raiders into less favorable situations if the lack of discipline continues to show. For the sake of the players, coaches and fans, the Raiders should make it their aim to keep the yellow flags off the field as much as possible.