The 2022 NFL pre-season is finally coming to an end Friday night. For the Raiders this will be their 4th game as the played in the Hall of Fame Game giving them an extra game and week of practice. The Raiders will host the New England Patriots Friday night at Allegiant Stadium to close out the preseason. With this being the last game before roster cuts many of the starters will sit this one out. Also, the teams have practiced together this week so the majority of the work has been done on the practice field. However, some roster spots are open and battles for position are still happening. The coaches and players will want to end by putting some good work on yape.One last time before the regular season begins I take a look at what to watch for in my Raiders preseason preview game 4 vs Patriots.
Stay Healthy
Not every member of the upcoming 53 man roster will get the night off. For those who play it’s important they leave this game healthy as the Chargers wait a little over two weeks away. The team has completed training camp and after a run of injuries early on they are mostly healthy to begin the year. Injuries are certainly a part of the game and teams deal with them every year. However, losing a player in the final preseason game is a tough break to start the season.
Kick Coverage
One area the Raiders have struggled in this preseason is covering kicks. Both punt and kickoff coverage has been a weakness this far although last week the special teams showed improvement. The team benefited from a couple penalties early in preseason that negated big returns or this issue would be more pressing. New Coach Tom McMahon will want to get this fixed before the regular season begins. Having a core group of guys especially after the roster cuts will help build chemistry and should improve the unit. The Raiders have a great kicker and punter now the coverage and return games need to improve to make the special teams unit truly special.
Chase Garbers
With Nick Mullens traded to the Vikings this week Friday seems like a game Garbers will start. Jarrett Stidham is the clear number 2 QB and if he plays if will be limited. Garbers has played well this preseason and looks to build on that. His athleticism stands out as he has made plays with his feet each outing. It will be interesting to see if Chase has done enough to have a spot on the 53. Depth issues make it difficult to carry 3 quarterbacks but the practice squad is a strong possibility. McDaniels wants young developmental QBs and it’s possible Garbers has shown enough to stick around and develop.
O Line
We are back where we started with the Raiders and the worrisome offensive line. Injuries along with up and down play have left more questions than answers . Besides LT Kolton Miller everyone on the unit could use more reps. The Right tackle position has been talked about since May. The rumblings earlier this week from the teams beat writers has Jermaine Eluemunor as the new starter. It seems like a wait and see approach is best just because of how many different starters the Raiders have had at RT so far. Alex Leatherwood continues to be underwhelming and should be moved to a guard position. His right tackle experiment is over and now the team needs to see how they can save his career. Brandon Parker and Thayer Munford Jr remain injured and a timetable for their return is unknown. Munford Jr was pushing to start but he has missed too much time and can hopefully be healthy enough to offer some depth during the season.
Thanks for your time reading my article. For more Raiders talk follow me on Twitter http://@BrianRobert85 and check out my previous article here Raiders Preseason Review: Game 3 Vs Dolphins. The Raiders finally wrap up the preseason Friday night and I will have my last preseason review up on Saturday.