Raiders vs. Titans game preview
The Oakland Raiders will begin their pivot to the regular season this week as they take on the Tennessee Titans. The Raiders (1-1) and Titans (1-1) are two teams who are trying to become surprises in the AFC this season. Let’s take a look at what to look for in this preseason matchup.
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Raiders Change Their Preparation
The Raiders are coming off their best season in four years as they finished 7-9 last season. Many believe the Raiders can take the next step and be serious players this season. Some even have them picked to win the AFC West and even the Super Bowl. Jack Del Rio understands all the young talent his team possesses, and is trying to develop preparation habits. Starting this week, Coach Del Rio is preparing for this game as he would a regular season game, something that is not always common in the preseason.
The Raiders will be preparing for a specific opponent with Del Rio saying,
“It’s good for us as coaches, how we put our game plan together, how we break an opponent down, all those things. We’re simulating a game week in terms of when we meet, how we meet, what information we’re going to give them, how they find their different cut up and things. How we prepare as an organization for a typical game week, that’s what we’re going to simulation this week.”
Teams Will Hold Back Due To Close Rematch
Derek Carr and the offense haven’t showed much promise so far this preseason. In the seven possessions for the Raiders that the offensive starters have been in, Carr has only thrown for 82 yards and produced two field goals. Starters usually play around three quarters in the third week of preseason, and the coaches open up the playbook a little bit.
The starters will likely play for an extended amount of time, but will probably not see the deep inside the playbook. The Raiders and Titans will play each other a month from now in Tennessee during week 3 of the regular season. Linebacker Ben Heeney is taking the positives out it saying, “It’s preseason, so they’re not going to be showing too much. But we won’t be either. Just to get out there and get a feel for the type of team they’re going to be this year and what we can be expected Week 3 should be good.”
Containing Marcus Mariota
It may be preseason, but the young quarterback is showing huge steps in his development. The second year signal caller is 14-15 (93.3% completion) for 149 yards with one touchdown and one interception this preseason. The Raiders defense will have to be prepared for Mariota’s mobility, precision, and strong arm for most of the game. As stated earlier, the play calling might be a little vanilla, so they might not be getting a full taste of Mariota’s capabilities for the Titans. Regardless, Mariota has the ability to embarrass the entire defense on any given play, so the Raiders defense will have to make containing him priority #1.
With Jack Del Rio pivoting his team’s mindset to the regular season, even with the Titans as an early season opponent, expect the team you see on the field for this game to be the team you see week one in New Orleans. Derek Carr and the offense need to produce a touchdown to get the monkey off their backs.
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