Linebacker Bruce Irvin
The Oakland Raiders first dress rehearsal wasn't perfect, but hey, that's why they call it a dress rehearsal.
Head Coach Jack Del Rio and Co. opened up their preseason slate of games Friday night at University of Phoenix Stadium, besting the Arizona Cardinals 31-10
Quarterback Derek Carr played in just two series, finishing his brief preseason debut 3 of 7 for 44 yards, with his two drives resulting in a punt and a field goal, respectively.
Heading into the matchup with the Cardinals, Carr said he wanted "play clean," and excluding a delay of game penalty in the early goings, you'd have to say Carr did just that. While he didn't complete all of his passes, he showed good command of the offense, and routinely put his wide receivers in advantageous situations to make plays.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first quarter, Carr and the Raiders offense took advantage of a 43-yard Johnny Holton kick return, and were able to put kicker Sebastian Janikowski in a position to connect on a 53-yard field goal before most of the starters ended their evening.
Quarterback Matt McGloin entered the game following Carr's departure, and in short order put 14 points on the board, throwing for a pair of touchdowns within several plays of each other, one to tight end Clive Walford, and the other to wide receiver Andre Holmes.
McGloin ended the night 5 of 11 for 41 yards and the aforementioned touchdowns, before exiting in the final minutes of the third quarter to make way for rookie quarterback Connor Cook who finished the rest of the game for the Silver and Black.
Defensively, Ken Norton Jr.'s unit – while allowing 389 total yards – only ceded 10 points in the preseason opener against the Cardinals, and secured three turnovers as well.
However, it wasn't all positives for the group, as defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. was injured in the first quarter and didn't return to the contest.
Arguably the most exciting play of the game came with just over 3:00 left in the third quarter, as running back George Atkinson III took a handoff from Cook, turned the corner and was gone, galloping 53 yards for the touchdown in what would put the punctuation mark on the game for the Raiders.
The Silver and Black will return to the practice field Monday, and will then hit the road again later in the week for a road matchup with the Green Bay Packers Thursday night at Lambeau Field.
