It's time for football! The Raiders kick off their preseason with a Saturday, Aug. 10, matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.
The game is set to kick off at 1 p.m. PT from U.S. Bank Stadium. Here's what you need to know.
How to watch and listen
The game will be broadcast locally on FOX5 Las Vegas (KVVU) with Jason Horowitz providing the play-by-play action alongside Raiders preseason color commentators Matt Millen and Rich Gannon. Nationally, NFL Network will air the matchup (Play-by-play: Paul Allen, Color Analyst: Pete Bercich).
Fans can also stream the TV broadcast on Raiders.com at this link and in the Raiders app.
On the airwaves, Radio Nation Radio 920 AM will feature radio personality JT the Brick alongside analysts Lincoln Kennedy and Eric Allen, providing a comprehensive breakdown of the game.
For the Spanish call, Harry Ruiz's energetic play-by-play takes the lead on Deportes Vegas 1460 AM, accompanied by analyst Mayra Gomez.
Opponent profile
The Raiders and Vikings have previously met seven times in the preseason, with Minnesota winning five of those contests. The last time the two teams faced off in the preseason was on Aug. 14, 2022, where the Raiders took home a 26-20 victory.
With the No. 10 overall pick in this year's draft, the Vikings selected J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan and also added former Jets first-round pick Sam Darnold in free agency. On the team's initial depth chart, released on Tuesday, Darnold is listed as QB1 – no surprise since Head Coach Kevin O'Connell pointed to Darnold as the starter for now before camp began and he has reportedly received a majority of first-team reps. McCarthy is listed beside Nick Mullens in a battle for the backup spot.
QB competition
After an offseason of preparation and training, the Raiders' quarterback battle takes the stage. Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O'Connell have been locked in a tight battle through the first few weeks of training camp. Saturday's game will give the Raiders staff a better look at where both players stand at this point and also evaluate their knowledge of Luke Getsy's scheme. The expectation from Antonio Pierce is that both quarterbacks will play a quarter each, but the head coach hasn't decided yet who will start, per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.
Any decision for who is QB1 won't be made quickly though, as both Pierce and General Manager Tom Telesco expect to use the entire preseason to evaluate their quarterback options.
"The one thing I don't do is grade them every single day," Telesco said on Raider Nation Radio. "It's going to be a cumulative effect of the whole camp. I keep using the word subjective, it kinds of is. ... They're both two different styles of quarterbacks, but here at training camp, their production level has been about the same. Kind of saw the same thing in OTAs, we'll see it work out. I like how they're both hailing the huddle. It's a big part of it – the leadership, the command."
New kickoffs
Football fans got a first look at the new kickoff set-up in last week's Hall of Fame Game, but Saturday will be the first time the Raiders put it into action. Multiple periods of camp practices have been dedicated to special teams and adjusting to the new "landing zone" (Click here for the full explanation on the rule change).
"I think that this preseason is going to be good for everybody in terms of finding out what some other teams are doing too," special teams coordinator Tom McMahon said. "I don't have all the answers, so from a leverage standpoint, 'Hey, these guys are doing something nice. These guys are doing something nice.' But we feel good about where we're at because it's going to come down to the specialists and the returners.
"The pre-snap stuff that a lot of people don't really realize, how do you hide where you're going to kick it? What kind of kicks can you use? Get a different ball that's not easy to catch. Vice versa from a returner standpoint, you've got to catch every single thing imaginable, every type of ball – knuckle balls, balls that curve. The communication is going to be big, and that's the thing I think you're really going to have to work out the whole season."
First look at the rookies
The Raiders' 22 rookies on the active roster will get their first taste of NFL action.
Undoubtedly, all eyes are on first-round pick Brock Bowers. The first back-to-back winner of John Mackey Award for nation's top tight end, Bowers played in 40 career games at Georgia over three seasons and totaled 175 receptions for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns, earning First Team All-American honors three times.
Third-rounder DJ Glaze and sixth-rounder Dylan Laube have been garnering attention from a few standout practices and are ones to watch if they get a chance to hit the field in the first game.
Take an exclusive look at photos from Tuesday's 2024 Training Camp practice.