After wandering through Middle-earth, to the fires of Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo Baggins conquered evil once and for all, destroying the Ring, and defeating the evil entity that is Sauron – sorry for not throwing out a spoiler alert, but if you haven't seen LOTR at this point I don't know what to tell you.
"It's done," Frodo told his companion Samwise Gamgee. "It's over."
Not to be dramatic, but that's how I felt when the Raiders' preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks struck double zeroes.
We've made it through the preseason, and now we can relish in the fact the regular season is just a week away. The Silver and Black will now begin preparation for their showdown with the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, as it's sure to be a thrilling bout.
Before we get too ahead of ourselves however, let's recap what transpired in the Raiders' game Thursday night, by taking a look at the playtime percentages from the 30-19 win.
| Player | Pos. | Offense | Defense | Special Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B Parker | T | 59 - 100% | ||
| K Hatcher | WR | 48 - 81% | 14 - 45% | |
| J Simmons | G | 48 - 81% | 5 - 16% | |
| C Warren | RB | 46 - 78% | ||
| E Manuel | QB | 40 - 68% | ||
| O Aboushi | G | 37 - 63% | 5 - 16% | |
| M Ateman | WR | 35 - 59% | 1 - 3% | |
| D Kirkland | G | 33 - 56% | 5 - 16% | |
| I Silberman | G | 33 - 56% | 5 - 16% | |
| J Stone | C | 32 - 54% | 5 - 16% | |
| P Brown | TE | 30 - 51% | 13 - 42% | |
| M Baugh | TE | 29 - 49% | 9 - 29% | |
| P Butler | TE | 28 - 47% | 12 - 39% | |
| C Hunt | G | 27 - 46% | ||
| D Sharpe | T | 26 - 44% | 5 - 16% | |
| J Holton | WR | 23 - 39% | 18 - 58% | |
| C Cook | QB | 19 - 32% | ||
| S Blacknall | WR | 17 - 29% | 1 - 3% | |
| I Whitney | WR | 15 - 25% | 11 - 35% | |
| J Butler | RB | 13 - 22% | 4 - 13% | |
| R Yurachek | FB | 11 - 19% | 14 - 45% | |
| J Cabinda | LB | 80 - 100% | 23 - 74% | |
| D Leavitt | DB | 72 - 90% | 22 - 71% | |
| S Calhoun | LB | 68 - 85% | 11 - 35% | |
| S Luani | FS | 66 - 82% | 25 - 81% | |
| K Wilber | LB | 58 - 72% | 9 - 29% | |
| J Carter | CB | 52 - 65% | 1 - 3% | |
| A Hamilton | CB | 47 - 59% | 9 - 29% | |
| F Brown | DE | 42 - 52% | 1 - 3% | |
| G Wright | DT | 41 - 51% | 3 - 10% | |
| S Wright | CB | 39 - 49% | 12 - 39% | |
| M Edwards | DE | 37 - 46% | ||
| T Hester | DT | 35 - 44% | 2 - 6% | |
| Q Mauger | S | 34 - 42% | 3 - 10% | |
| J Cowser | LB | 33 - 41% | 23 - 74% | |
| T Carradine | DE | 32 - 40% | 1 - 3% | |
| A Davis | CB | 31 - 39% | 2 - 6% | |
| S Soto | DT | 31 - 39% | 2 - 6% | |
| A Victor | LB | 24 - 30% | 15 - 48% | |
| N Morrow | LB | 24 - 30% | 6 - 19% | |
| R Melvin | CB | 14 - 18% | ||
| R Pringle | CB | 10 - 12% | 8 - 26% | |
| C Flagel | DE | 10 - 12% | ||
| A DePaola | LS | 12 - 39% | ||
| J Townsend | P | 12 - 39% | ||
| M Nugent | K | 11 - 35% |
Offense
EJ Manuel put on a show – Over the span of three quarters, Manuel played 40 snaps, and the six-year veteran quarterback put his talents on full display. Manuel completed 81 percent of his passes, throwing 18 of 22 passes for 255 yards, and three touchdowns. He also finished the night with a passer rating of 154.5 and perhaps most importantly had zero turnovers. No. 3 did a nice job of protecting the football, which is key, and moved the offense downfield with a couple of deep passes to wide receivers Marcell Ateman and Keon Hatcher.
Entering the league, the former Florida State Seminole was known for his ability to keep plays alive with his legs, and he demonstrated that gift against the Seahawks. Manuel evaded defenders as the pocket collapsed on a few plays, and was able to manage some positive yards.
We'll see whether Manuel or Connor Cook gets dubbed Derek Carr's backup, but Manuel's performance Thursday put him in a good spot.
Keon Hatcher gets a hat trick – Similar to Manuel, Hatcher finished the preseason in quality fashion, accounting for 128 of the Raiders' total 352 yards. With eight receptions, Hatcher averaged 16 yards per reception, and hauled in three touchdowns. Hatcher saw the second-most snaps Thursday with 48, and certainly made the most of them
The former University of Arkansas Razorback served as a member of the Raiders practice squad last season, and it'll be interesting to see what General Manager Reggie McKenzie does with the 23-year-old on roster reduction day tomorrow.
Rookie tackle Brandon Parker goes the distance – The Raiders' third-round selection out of North Carolina A&T spent a majority of training camp dealing with an injury, but he's seen some quality playing time here in the preseason.
Against the Seahawks, Parker was the only Raider to play every offensive snap, 59 total. With the regular season around the corner, it remains to be seen just how much Head Coach Jon Gruden will feature him in the offense, but having depth at the tackle position is never a bad thing.
Defense
Linebacker Jason Cabinda finishes strong – Cabinda was one of my players who stood out [LINK] from last night's game. Cabinda saw 80 snaps on defense, playing 100 percent of the game, and his stat line did not disappoint. The former Penn State Nittany Lion accounted for 10 tackles, two of them for loss, and was a great communicator in the middle of the field.
The undrafted free agent has had a strong camp, and made quite the impression on the coaching staff. We'll see what lies ahead for him.
Shalom Luani gets behind the line of scrimmage – Last year's seventh-round pick showed in 2017 that he's a very instinctual player, which he demonstrated once again against the Seahawks. In 66 snaps, Luani registered seven tackles, and one of them for loss. A season ago, the defense rarely brought a safety blitz, but Defensive Coordinator Paul Guenther has conveyed that's not his style. On a Seahawks handoff, Luani came flying off the opposite side and brought down the running back behind the line of scrimmage.
