3 takeaways from Raiders’ preseason home win over the 49ers

Three takeaways from the Raiders’ 34-7 win over the 49ers in Sunday’s preseason opener at Allegiant Stadium:

1. Disruption

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: There were few starters on the field, and neither team schemed, so that has to be considered when analyzing anything that happened.

But let’s dive into what did happen.

Disruption has been the most consistent word used by Raiders defensive players and coaches throughout the offseason and training camp.

They defined it with their performance Sunday.

While the term often has been used to mean how the team wants to go about creating turnovers, it can take on many forms.

On Sunday, that meant creating chaos in the backfield.

Former first-round pick Trey Lance, who started at quarterback for the 49ers, was under a barrage of pressure from the Raiders’ pass rush.

He was sacked twice on the first series and four times in the first half. The Raiders also set up two second-half touchdowns by forcing turnovers. Curtis Bolton jarred the ball free from Cameron Latu after a reception, and Azizi Hearn came up with the loose ball at the 49ers’ 14-yard line in the third quarter.

Cornerback Sam Webb was waiting when Ronnie Bell let a pass slip through his fingers, and Webb returned the pick 43 yards to the 2-yard line to set up another score in the fourth quarter.

But some of the turnovers that didn’t happen also will be encouraging on film.

Rookie linebacker Amari Burney dropped an interception. Cornerback Duke Shelley let one slip through his hands that ended up as a deflected touchdown, but he was in the right place before the fluky bounce.

Rookie safety Christopher Smith got his hands on a pass to force an interception in the third quarter.

All were good signs.

2. O’Connell looks comfortable

Rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell started at quarterback and played three quarters for the Raiders.

The results were positive.

Again, he wasn’t facing any of the 49ers’ star defenders, and there weren’t many, if any, exotic blitzes or Raiders-specific schemes, but he still did his job.

Perhaps the most important part of his day was how much poise he showed in the pocket. He reset his feet and made the right throw and read on several occasions.

And while several of the throws were relatively easy pitch and catches, he didn’t miss any. There didn’t appear to be much nervousness or anxiety from the rookie in his first NFL game.

There have been uneven practices and growing pains during training camp for O’Connell, but none of that showed up Sunday.

He finished 15 of 18 for 141 yards and a touchdown, numbers that included two drops by rookie Tre Tucker.

O’Connell’s best throw was probably a deep ball down the left sideline to Tucker on third down that was initially ruled a catch only to be overturned on replay.

3. Midseason form

The Raiders have perhaps the NFL’s best special teams unit, and it looked ready for the regular season.

Punter AJ Cole averaged 48.8 yards on his five punts and put four of them inside the 20-yard line.

Kicker Daniel Carlson made both of his field-goal attempts, including a 53-yarder. He was also good on all four extra points.

One notable moment from the unit was a big tackle by rookie cornerback Jakorian Bennett on punt coverage. While he has excelled in his natural position during training camp, his willingness to get in the muck on punt coverage shows his commitment to the smaller details in his first season.

Tight end Cole Fotheringham, the team’s leading receiver with five catches for 71 yards, also made a tackle for no gain on D’Shawn Jamison after he danced away from the first wave of coverage.

Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal