First, the Raiders outplayed a perhaps overconfident 49ers team over two joint-practice scrimmages.
Sunday, they handled the Niners with ease, giving them a 34-7 beatdown.
After Jimmy Garoppolo stuck it to his former teammates and coach Kyle Shanahan in practice, rookie Aidan O’Connell took center stage and is raising eyebrows.
Finishing with strong numbers, O’Connell threw for 15/18 with 141 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. He led the Raiders on 4 different scoring drives, 3 of them concluding with touchdowns.
The 24 year old stepped up in the pocket when he needed too, displayed good decision making and a surprising comfort level for his first outing in action as a professional.
The Raiders set the tone this past half-week that they’re not willing to accept their fate as the same ole Raiders.
Following their first scrimmage with San Francisco, Maxx Crosby talked about how he was “Sick of that shit” in regards to having never earned a playoff berth since being drafted in 2019.
Heading into their fourth season in Las Vegas, the Raiders have yet to bring a postseason game to Allegiant Stadium.
Newcomers like Jimmy Garoppolo and Marcus Peters, gives the Raiders a swagger and surge in confidence they needed.
However youngsters like O’Connell and rookie LB Amari Burney took the shine on game day.
Burney, a speedy converted safety at linebacker, finished with a sack, TFL and a pass deflection—providing both coverage skills and pressure on the quarterback.
The Raiders left the 49ers with some questions for when they return to The Bay. Not re-signing Garoppolo made way for Brock Purdy to be the starter, but Garoppolo outplayed Purdy during both of their scrimmages.
Several yards away at practice in Henderson, only Garoppolo’s voice could be heard out of all 6 QBs who got reps.
When leaving the huddle, or calling adjustments at the line of scrimmage, Jimmy G belted out that classic “QB voice” and showcased his command—never once being intercepted by the 49ers and scoring on multiple drives in practice.
To quote Allen Iverson “We talkin about PRACTICE?!”
Yes, the 49ers are still expecting to be better than the Raiders this season, but if the Raiders were looking to set a tone against one of the NFL’s best teams heading into the 2023 season—they did just that on Sunday.
It’s just preseason and it’s just practice, but if you’re a Raiders fan, these last several days are nothing but encouraging.
