What the Raiders need to see in preseason game against 49ers

With joint practices completed, it is time for the Las Vegas Raiders to show what they have learned.

On Saturday, the Raiders play their second preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium.

After practice, the Raiders know what areas they can fix and which ones they can build off of starting with this game. Along with the first preseason game last week against the Seattle Seahawks, the team has plenty to consider heading into this matchup.

Here are three things that the Raiders should be on the lookout for against the 49ers.

Get Jeanty rolling

The game against the Seahawks was far from the performance running back Ashton Jeanty had in mind.

Against Seattle, Jeanty ended up recording -1 rushing yards on just three carries. However, some of that can be blamed on an offensive line that was ineffective at times and allowed Seahawks defenders to swarm the sixth overall pick. Reports out of joint practices said both Jeanty and the offensive line had impressive days overall, so that is a promising sign that a stronger effort is coming.

If the offensive line can hold its end of the bargain, Jeanty should have much more space to operate in this game and be much more effective as a result.

Battling for position

Aidan O’Connell and Cam Miller has been the talk of the preseason, but that is far from the only position battle raging on during this game.

Miller soundly outperformed O’Connell against the Seahawks, and a repeat effort against the 49ers could narrow the gap to the point that the race ends up as a dead heat. On defense, some new battles are beginning to crop up as a result of moves made during the last week. Jonah Laulu’s forgettable game against the Seahawks had opened the door for new addition Thomas Booker IV to take his spot on the defensive line, while the outside cornerback spot beside Eric Stokes is turning into a three-horse race between Darien Porter, Decamerion Richardson and Kyu Blu Kelly.

The Raiders will hope to get some clarity in this game, so this is the perfect opportunity to take the initiative and get ahead.

Course correction

From joint practices, it was clear what the Raiders were focusing on heading into this game.

After being gashed against the run during the Seahawks game, the Raiders defense stood firm in that department against the 49ers in practice. However, the same reports said the San Francisco offense was able to get the better of Las Vegas on screens and on deep passes. It points to some level of overcorrection, and the Raiders will hope they can balance it out during the game.

A strong defensive effort against the 49ers would go a long way towards solidifying that side of the ball for the Raiders.