The preseason is nearing an end for the Las Vegas Raiders as the New England Patriots come to Allegiant stadium for the exhibition finale.
Las Vegas is undefeated in preseason play despite taking part in more games than any other team, aside from the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's hard to write a better storyline than this as we wait for the regular season to arrive. Looking secure a perfect preseason, Josh McDaniels has to best his former team from Foxborough.
McDaniels isn't the only one with something to prove, either. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham will head onto the field as the Raiders' starting quarterback after playing with the Patriots in 2020 and 2021. The showdown is set to begin tonight as we watch if McDaniels can beat his old Patriot buddies, or if New England gets the last laugh.
Before the game kicks off, though, let's go over some bold predictions.
Las Vegas Raiders preseason Week 3 predictions
2. UDFA cornerback Sam Webb impresses enough to make the final roster
The Raiders have the cornerback position pretty much figured out, but Webb is right on the cusp of making the team. If he plays well against the Patriots, he likely will earn a roster spot.
It isn't a stretch to say Webb has been the most impressive cornerback for Las Vegas this preseason. He has piled up 11 tackles, notching six against the Minnesota Vikings alone. Those six tackles remain a team-high through the entirety of the preseason.
In Miami this last Saturday, Webb took a fumble to the house…sort of. As he found himself with all the open space he can dream of after recovering a fumble, the referees decided to blow the whistle and call the ball dead instead of letting it play out. That proved to be a mistake and serve as yet another example of why you always let plays continue.
While the call was overturned to a fumble after a replay view, Webb would not get the touchdown due to the play being blown dead before he crossed the plane with the football.
The Raiders' undrafted free agent is in a good spot to make the 53-man. Cornerbacks Nate Hobbs, Rock Ya-Sin, Anthony Averett and Trayvon Mullen are roster locks, with Darius Phillips right in the mix. If Las Vegas decides to roll with six corners, there's no reason Webb won't be next in line.
Luckily for Webb, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has maintained since day one that he wants Las Vegas to carry an abundance of cornerbacks.
1. For the fourth time in a row, Stidham proves why he's the Raiders' QB2
In need of a backup quarterback heading into the 2022 offseason, the Silver and Black announced the signing of Nick Mullens.
If you're part of Raider Nation, the name Nick Mullens may sound familiar—too familiar, in fact. There's a reason for that.
During Week 9 of the 2018 season, the San Francisco 49ers, led by Mullens, hit the road to face the Raiders in what would be his first career start. It was a magical day for the young signal-caller, who threw for three touchdowns and no interceptions. His 72.73 completion percentage was a thing of beauty, leading to a near-perfect QB rating of 151.9.
Four years after this wonderful performance, Mullens found himself sporting the same Silver and Black colors he once lit up.
Even with Mullens now on the roster, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels wasn't satisfied. Formerly a long time offensive coordinator in New England, McDaniels thought it best to trade a future draft pick for a quarterback he both knew well and understood his system. Enter Jarrett Stidham.
For many, trading anything at all to acquire Stidham didn't make much sense. Mullens was sitting pretty at QB2, with a career TD:INT ratio of 26:22. Mullens' 4,861 career passing yards with a 64.6 completion percentage is plenty serviceable for a second-stringer.
On the other side of the coin, Stidham has tossed two touchdowns and four interceptions in his career, completing just 50% of his passes for 270 yards. Stidham's career QB rating is practically half of Mullens' as well, coming in at 46.4 compared to Mullens' 87.3.
Still, the trade was made, and Stidham headed to Las Vegas with dreams of earning the backup role. As the preseason has gone on, the former Patriot has proved to be just that—the victor of the backup role. Stidham has been magnificent during exhibition play, leading the Raiders downfield on a consistent basis.
To paint the picture of how efficient Stidham has been, on the first two drives of all three preseason games combined, the first-year Raider has led his team deep into enemy territory five out of six times.
As it turns out, McDaniels made the right call, and the former Patriot quarterback proved exactly why he was desirable. After three contests to evaluate both Stidham and Mullens, the team cemented Stidham as the QB2, cutting ties with Mullens in the process.
After all of this, how funny is it that Stidham will wrap up his glorious preseason campaign against his former team? The New England Patriots will be in Las Vegas to see Stidham in action as a Raider, and for my money, the Auburn alum will not disappoint.
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