3 observations from Raiders’ preseason loss: Jeanty arrives vs. 49ers

A fast start by Geno Smith and the first-team offense and a couple of statement runs by rookie running back Ashton Jeanty were not enough to save the Raiders against the 49ers on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.

Jake Moody’s 59-yard field goal in the closing seconds sent the Raiders to a 22-19 loss and overshadowed some of the progress they made from last week’s preseason opener against the Seahawks.

The Raiders (0-1-1) wrap up the preseason next Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals.

Here’s three observations from the game:

1. Jeanty sharp in limited action

It was a small sample size, but Jeanty was impressive in his first home game.

The rookie from Boise State rushed for 33 yards on seven carries and caught one pass for 2 yards. The 4.7 yards per carry is what the Raiders are hoping for from their first-round pick, who flashed a little of everything during a stint that lasted just over one quarter.

Two plays stood out.

With the Raiders facing third and 5 at the 49ers’ 37-yard line, they handed the ball to Jeanty. The objective was for him to either push it close enough to the marker to go for it on fourth down or enhance the field-goal position for Daniel Carlson.

Jeanty and the offensive line had bigger ideas, though, and between a nice push up front and Jeanty’s vision, they converted the first down on an 8-yard run. The ability to run for a first down on third and 5 is something the Raiders did not have last season.

Jeanty wants to keep showing offensive coordinator Chip Kelly he can be counted on in that situation.

“In the back of my mind, it’s to continue to gain that trust that I can go get those yards,” Jeanty said.

One series later — and soon after Jeanty went to the medical tent after absorbing a big hit on a 2-yard reception — he rumbled for 13 yards. On the play, he lowered his shoulder to truck cornerback Deommodre Lenior.

“That’s just my mentality as a runner,” Jeanty said. “Just to set the tone early in the game.”

Jeanty capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

2. Aidan O’Connell struggles again

The Raiders aren’t in any rush to make a change at backup quarterback, where O’Connell is simply further along than rookie Cam Miller.

But it has to be concerning that O’Connell had another rough outing.

O’Connell completed 10 of 15 passes for 88 yards. But he threw his third interception of the preseason and took two sacks that were on him more than the offensive line.

On each sack, it appeared O’Connell did not recognize where the pressure was coming from and not prepared to get rid of the ball quickly enough to avoid the sack.

The second sack was the most blatant, with the Raiders facing a second and 1 at the 49ers’ 36-yard line. With the 49ers showing a linebacker blitz, O’Connell either needed to check to a run play to pick up the first down or alert to a hot receiver. He did neither, and the result was an 8-yard loss.

His third-quarter interception was also problematic. Protecting the ball is always the biggest priority of the quarterback, especially when he’s in scoring territory. With the Raiders facing a third and 8 at the 49ers’ 28-yard line, O’Connell cannot take a negative play or give the ball away.

But he recklessly attempted a long throw across the field to a well-covered receiver, and it was easily intercepted by cornerback Chase Lucas.

“It wasn’t a decision that he makes in practice,” coach Pete Carroll said. “The guy was really covered well and threw it to him on a breakout. That’s not one that we see him do much.”

3. Run defense looks better

A big focus for the Raiders was run defense and tackling, two areas they struggled in against the Seahawks.

“The first game was atrocious,” safety Jeremy Chinn said. “So that was a big emphasis this whole week.”

The first-team defense did a much better job in both areas during their first quarter of work.

The 49ers ran six times for minus 1 yard. The Raiders’ defensive line did a better job holding up at the line of attack, with their second- and third-level defenses more efficient in run fits and pursuit angles. The Raiders also did a good job of getting ball carriers to the ground.

“I think we accomplished what we wanted to against the run early on,” Chinn said. “And I think that kind of stuck throughout the game.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.