Three takeaways from Raiders’ preseason tie against the Seahawks

SEATTLE—It was a mixed bag of tricks for the first Las Vegas Raiders game in about seven months.

On Thursday, the Raiders launched a comeback bid against the Seattle Seahawks to finish their first preseason game with a 23-23 tie.

Both team starts out their preseason slates with a 0-0-1 record, with each having something to work on heading into next weekend.

Here are some major takeaways to come from the Raiders’ side of the equation.

Jeanty posts forgettable debut

Ashton Jeanty did not get much playing time as expected, but it was not the first impression he wanted to make for the Raiders.

On three carries, the sixth overall pick managed to pick up -1 rushing yards. It was hard for him to find room, as the Seahawks defensive front swarmed him at every turn. It was just a preseason game that has little effect on the season, but Jeanty struggling like this could pose a problem for a Raiders team desperate for him to solve their rushing woes.

QB2 heating up

In the battle to be Geno Smith’s backup, the edge in the first preseason game went firmly to sixth-round rookie Cam Miller over Aidan O’Connell.

O’Connell’s day was not without positives, but a couple of second quarter interceptions derailed momentum on some drives. When Miller came in for the fourth quarter, however, he rallied the Raiders from down ten points with a pair of scoring drives, including a beautiful 41-yard touchdown pass to Shedrick Jackson. It would not be surprising to see Miller get more reps throughout the rest of the offseason to see if he can capitalize on the momentum.

Clutch defensive play

After tying the game, the Raiders had to stop Jalen Milroe and the Seahawks from going down the field.

On third down, the Raiders finally managed to get their first sack of the day from Treven Ma’ae. It was the first major play the defense made all game, giving the Raiders serious momentum for their final drive. Unfortunately, they could not finish off the Seahawks in the end, as they blocked a 55-yard field goal attempt from Daniel Carlson to clinch the tie.