The Raiders are returning to Allegiant Stadium this upcoming Sunday at 1:00 PM/PT to face their former Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco 49ers to kick off their 2023 NFL Preseason.
After concluding last season with a thrilling, but losing effort at home to the Niners in a 37-34 overtime classic, the Raiders hope to see positive signs from their young players for the team’s preseason opener.
Unfortunately Tyree Wilson, the seventh-overall pick in this year’s draft, won’t be able to play as he’s dealing with a foot fracture injury.
Michael Mayer however, the Raiders’ rookie tight end, is available and might see the field. The Raiders carry high hopes for Mayer—after reportedly grading him as a first-round talent before trading up to select him early in the second round of this year’s draft.
Aidan O’Connell, the Raiders’ 4th round rookie quarterback, might also receive some playing time. The 24-year-old with a great mustache looks bigger than his 6’3” listing and might be an important player for the Raiders if injuries are an issue at quarterback in 2023.
The rest of the Raider rookies, such as 3rd round receiver Tre Tucker and 4th round corner Jakorian Bennett, all are healthy and ready to play.
The teams are sharing a joint-practice early this week before game-day.
For the Raiders, there are many connections to the 49ers. The two franchises shared the adoration of the Bay Area, as well as the greater California area and much of the West Coast for decades, and won a combined 8 championships in 17 seasons between 1977-1994.
They now share a lineage with Jimmy Garoppolo, the Raiders’ new starting quarterback who previously led the 49ers to the 2019 Super Bowl and 2021 NFC Championship Game.
Garoppolo begins with Las Vegas following a 39-18 tenure as a starter with San Francisco.
The 31-year old figures to be a more consistent, accurate passer for the Raiders—sporting nearly a 7% completion rate percentage advantage over previous starter Derek Carr in 2022.
Health is a concern for Garoppolo, however, after missing 17 games in the last 3 seasons.
The aforementioned rookie, Aidan O’Connell, is worth paying close attention to for Raider fans should he play in this preseason opener for that reason alone.
The Raiders are 12-19 all-time against the 49ers in the preseason and fell to below .500 (7-8) against San Francisco in regular season meetings following last year’s finale.
