The Raiders won yet another preseason affair on Saturday, defeating the Dolphins 15-13 to move to 3-0 in their warmup for the NFL campaign.
The game saw some Raiders that haven’t played much at all, such as defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, get on the field, while others, such as quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Nick Mullens, played less, as QB Chase Garbers led Las Vegas the entire second half.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins played a healthy amount of starters, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Overall, it was a nice victory for coach Josh McDaniels, as the Dolphins took the lead in the fourth quarter before the Raiders pushed back for the winning Daniel Carlson field goal.
As always, some Raiders performed better than others. Here are this week’s winners and losers as Las Vegas prepares for joint practices with the Patriots this week.
Winner: QB Jarrett Stidham
The Raiders offense took the field to start the game, and Jarrett Stidham was seemingly under pressure as soon as he set foot on the Hard Rock Stadium turf.
Stidham got his helmet knocked off as he was sacked in the game’s opening drive, but he rebounded to complete passes in several clutch moments, including a 4th-and-4 play when he zipped the ball to tight end Jesper Horsted for a first down.
4th down? Not a problem for @Jarrett_Stidham & @JHorsted 💪
📺 Live on FOX NFL+ pic.twitter.com/9rbvBokNde
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 20, 2022
In a result that seemed impossible when the drive started, the Raiders marched 75 yards down the field in 12 plays and notched a 2-yard rushing touchdown from running back Zamir White. Without Stidham’s poise, the drive would have been over long before that point.
Winner: WR Tyron Johnson
The Raiders have a bevy of playmakers on offense, but in the lead-up to this season, it was uncertain whether the wide receiver group included a speedster who can take the lid off the defense.
It appears the situation has been resolved. Wide receiver Tyron Johnson has looked blazing fast all preseason, and on Saturday, he was Stidham’s primary weapon outside early in the game. He looked like a polished wideout, proving he can do more than be fast.
He finished with 32 yards on four receptions, but more importantly, he looked like the exact type of player Las Vegas needs in its WR room. Plus, he would have had more yards if Stidham didn’t miss him deep down the sideline on the Raiders’ second drive of the game, one of Stidham’s few miscues.
Winner: DE Tashawn Bower
The Raiders are also looking for competition at defensive end, and Tashawn Bower threw his hat into the ring on Saturday, notching a QB sack, a QB hit, two tackles for loss, and five tackles.
It's a @TashawnBower kinda day!! 🙌
📺 Live on FOX NFL+ pic.twitter.com/8s9eChSObw
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 21, 2022
Linebackers Darien Butler and Curtis Bolton also took advantage of their opportunities and made an impact, with Bolton tackling the Miami QB in the end zone for a safety in the first half.
Winner: DT Johnathan Hankins
In the Raiders’ win last week, their run defense was porous. It was clear the team desperately needed its starters at defensive tackle, Johnathan Hankins and Bilal Nichols, to return from the PUP list.
Each player returned to the active roster, and Hankins saw action on Saturday. Immediately, Hankins displayed his immense worth to Patrick Graham’s 3-4 defense, as he led a striking improvement against the run. He had two tackles, including one solo stop, in limited action, and Miami ended the afternoon with just 37 yards on the ground.
The Raiders are flush with superstar pass rushers, but they still need to build a wall up front. Hankins proved he can make an impact. Ideally, for Graham, Nichols does as well when he makes his own return.
Loser: G Lester Cotton Sr.
Though it’s hard to tell exactly, it appears Lester Cotton Sr. is on track to start the season for the Raiders at right guard. Ultimately, his overall performance on Saturday may not have hurt those chances.
But Cotton allowed a QB sack on the game’s opening drive, and the end result wasn’t pretty, as Stidham’s helmet flew off on impact.
Any time a lineman allows that to happen to his QB, that’s a losing day. Regardless of his status, Cotton should take that one personally. Plus, with G/C Dylan Parham starting at guard in place of John Simpson, it’s clear there are still three players in the mix for the two starting spots next to center Andre James.
In Cotton’s defense, however, offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood also got beat on the play, contributing to Stidham’s loose lid.
Loser: OT Alex Leatherwood
Alex Leatherwood started at right tackle against Miami after sitting until the third quarter last week. He had a rough opening series and it only got worse from there.
On consecutive plays in the second quarter, Leatherwood was bull-rushed right into his quarterback and then allowed an easy sack.
Another big sack by the defense! 💪 @PorterGustin
Watch #LVvsMIA on @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/wNcs6cHd6z
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 20, 2022
Leatherwood was removed from the game after that tough sequence, but he returned later. It appears that as soon as rookie OT Thayer Munford is healthy again, Leatherwood may sit on the bench on a permanent basis.
Loser: D.J Turner
Wide receiver D.J. Turner couldn’t build on his momentum from last week, notching just one catch in the fourth quarter of this preseason matchup.
Johnson’s performance, along with a nice game from WR Keelan Cole, may squeeze Turner out of the picture. He has potential as a punt returner, but Las Vegas has other options in that department, including superstar WR Hunter Renfrow and RB Ameer Abdullah.
Despite shaky play from the offensive line, the Raiders keep winning in the preseason. That won’t be easy to pull off in the regular season, especially in a pass-rush-rich AFC West.
But all is well in Las Vegas for now, especially with a fantastic opportunity to improve during the Raiders practice session with McDaniels’ old squad, the Patriots, in the week ahead.
