Six observations from the Raiders preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks

Aug 29, 2019 at 10:06 PM

Eddie Paskal

Senior Writer/Editor

Congratulations, Raider Nation, you made it through the preseason.

After four weeks, three road trips, and games in two countries, the Oakland Raiders wrapped up their slate of preseason games Thursday night with a 17-15 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, finishing their exhibition tuneup with a 3-1 record.

With the clash with the Seahawks now in the rearview mirror, our focus shifts to Saturday afternoon, when the team will have to cut down from 90 players to 53.

That said, we still have some time before those names cross the wire; here are six observations from the team's 17-15 loss.

1. Once again, it was the Glennon/Peterman Show

With Derek Carr unsurprisingly taking in Thursday night's game as a spectator, once again, the Raiders relied on the tandem of Mike Glennon and Nathan Peterman under center.

And while neither signal-caller really put on an otherworldly display against the Seahawks, neither of the two men turned the ball over on a rainy evening in Seattle.

Just like last week, Mike Glennon got the start for Head Coach Jon Gruden, playing just a single quarter before ceding the rest of the work to Nathan Peterman.

During his abbreviated time under center, No. 7 connected on nine of his 13 attempts, good for 78 yards and a quarterback rating of 84.8.

Peterman then entered the fray, completing 20 of his 27 attempts for 158 yards.

Thursday's result aside, the real question now headed into Saturday is how many quarterbacks Gruden and his staff decide to put on the 53-man roster.

It's either going to be two or three, now we all just have to play the waiting game.

2. Josh Mauro gets involved

We haven't seen much of the veteran defensive end throughout the preseason, but that changed Thursday night in the Pacific Northwest.

Mauro played into the fourth quarter and finished his longest on-field run as a Raider with four total tackles.

The former Stanford Cardinal had a really nice offseason program and training camp, and I expect him to be a key cog in the Raiders defense in 2019, so it was good to see him get an extended look against the Seahawks after not playing heavily in the early stages of the preseason.

Paired with Clelin Ferrell on the other edge, Mauro will play a pivotal role in the success of the defensive line this year, and he's a guy that I think will quietly have an impressive 2019.

3. Daniel Carlson was almost perfect

Oh, Daniel Carlson, you were so close to having a perfect preseason.

While the second-year kicker did miss his second field goal attempt of the night, Carlson did connect on his other three chances – including a 43 yarder in the first quarter – to bring his final preseason tally to an impressive seven-of-eight.

Even keeping his miss in mind, No. 8 has once again been stellar as of late, and if you're a fan of the Silver and Black, you have to feel good about the state of the team's special teams battery.

Shooting 100 percent from the field would have been a nice feather in the cap for the former Auburn Tiger, but an 88 percent conversion rate isn't too shabby either.

4. Ateman ate early

Marcell Ateman certainly made the most of his final opportunity to leave an impression on the Raiders coaching staff.

The second-year receiver hauled in five receptions in the preseason finale - all in the first quarter - totaling 49 yards when all was said and done.

Ateman – who appeared in seven games last year as a rookie – certainly had his moments of excellence last year, but with a completely retooled wide receivers room this year, No. 88 will likely have to fight for his roster spot going forward.

The physical wide receiver has all the tools to be a valuable red zone asset for the Silver and Black, we'll just have to wait and see how things shake out Saturday afternoon.

And at the very least, Ateman put his best foot forward Thursday night at CenturyLink field.

Oh, and I'd be remiss if I forgot to mention Keon Hatcher who added six catches of his own.

Man, there are going to be some tough cuts come Saturday for General Manager Mike Mayock, Coach Gruden and their staffs.

5. The defensive line got home

Even without the benefit of Clelin Ferrell, Arden Key, Jonathan Hankins or most of the front-line defensive linemen, the Raiders did a pretty solid job of generating pressure on the Seahawks quarterbacks all night.

When the clock his triple zeroes, the group had tallied three sacks, and in addition to those two takedowns behind the line of scrimmage, the Silver and Black's defensive front made things difficult for Geno Smith and Paxton Lynch throughout the evening.

We've talked so much about the Raiders' struggles generating a pass rush a season ago, and while the preseason and regular season are very different beasts, I've been encouraged by what I've seen from Brentson Buckner's group over the past month.

6. It's time to play for real, for real, now

With Thursday's game now complete, the Silver and Black have successfully navigated their way through the month-long preseason.

After reducing the roster to 53 players by Saturday afternoon, the Raiders will (finally) get into a game week preparation come Monday.

They'll open the regular season against the division rival Denver Broncos Monday, Sept. 9 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.