After a decisive win to kick off the preseason last week, the Las Vegas Raiders look to build on that success in Week 2 of the preseason. On Sunday afternoon, the Silver and Black heads back to Allegiant Stadium for the first time this year, taking on the Minnesota Vikings.
There were several players on the offensive side of the ball who had a great game last week, but here are three key players that will make a difference against the Vikings.
3 X-Factors To Keep An Eye On In The Next Raiders Preseason Game
Zamir White
The rookie had an impressive outing to kick off his NFL career in the Hall of Fame game, totaling 52 yards in the Raiders’ win. White was able to gain those yards on just 11 carries, good enough for an impressive 4.7 yards per carry. Zamir also had a carry of 14 yards. As shown in this carry below, White was running with force.
Looking to move up in the depth chart, White should have an excellent opportunity to do just that on Sunday. As a side note, Zamir had the most touches of any running back last week. With, in all likelihood, an impressive performance in Week 2, he should get a lot in Week 3 as well. White is a sure lock to make the opening week roster, but with another great performance he may guarantee himself some more carries out of the gate as well.
Tyron Johnson
Tyron Johnson is a player a little closer to the roster bubble than White, but he played very well last week. In the Raiders’ first preseason game, Johnson had just two catches, but he made the most of them, totaling 39 yards. That was good enough to be the leading receiver on the team, so Tyron definitely made a good impression on the coaching staff.
He’ll look to build on that in Week 2 against the Vikings, and he should have some success. Even though Johnson only had two catches, he turned both of those into big plays. If Johnson can have another big performance this week, he’ll practically be a lock to make the opening week roster.
Dylan Parham
Here we have another Raiders’ rookie who had a great performance in his first taste of NFL action. Parham played about 40 snaps last week at center and both guard positions. Parham played very well at all three and was excellent when it came to run blocking.
The Raiders’ have seemed to have been dealt with bad break after bad break when it comes to the offensive line, but Parham does appear to be a bright spot. He put himself in a great position after his outstanding performance in Week 1. With another great showing on Sunday, Parham can essentially lock down a starting spot at either of the three positions he played last week.
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