You couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year. The Raiders absolutely dominated in Week 1 of the preseason, defeating the 49ers 34-7. It was an impressive effort by both sides of the ball as the Raiders controlled the game right from the beginning.
The story of this game was fourth-round pick QB Aidan O’Connell, who got the start for the Raiders. He was highly efficient for Las Vegas, completing 15 of his 18 passes. One of his incompletions was on a slant to Tre Turner, who dropped what would have been an easy first down.
O’Connell finished the game with 141 passing yards and a passer rating of 117.8. He also threw the first touchdown of his career on a short throw to Keelan Cole in the red zone. O’Connell wasn’t perfect, but it was a fantastic debut from the Day 3 selection from Purdue.
The pass rush was another big story for the Raiders as they sacked Trey Lance three times in the first quarter. They pressured him all game long as the unit played well all game long.
The Raiders will be back on the field in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams. That game is scheduled for Saturday, August 19 at 9:00 PM ET.
