Raiders-Vikings: 5 things to watch in Las Vegas' preseason opener (2025)

Preseason games don’t usually garner a lot of excitement, but they will for this year’s Las Vegas Raiders. That’s because coach Antonio Pierce’s stated plan is for the full roster to suit up for the entirety of the preseason as the team prepares for the regular season.

So, some of the biggest questions surrounding Pierce’s bunch — namely the quarterback competition — will be answered through these three exhibitions.

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“We’re looking for assignment, alignment, execution, adjustments, effort, physicality, tackling — all of that stuff,” Pierce said Wednesday. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing with; it’s still football. And we’re going to play our guys. Everybody that’s on this trip, if they’re on the plane, they’re playing. So, you’ll see Maxx Crosby, you’ll see Christian (Wilkins), you’ll see all those guys there.

“To us, (this game is) more about the Raiders. It’s not the Raiders versus the Minnesota Vikings. There’s going to be a score and it’s going to be a win or a loss, but there’s objectives that we want to get accomplished in this game as a team, and that’s what we’re focused on.”

The Raiders face the Vikings at 1 p.m. PST on Saturday in Minneapolis. Here are five of the most interesting things to watch:

1. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell

This will be the most important thing to keep tabs on in each of the Raiders’ three preseason games. It’s common knowledge that Minshew and O’Connell have struggled through training camp, but this gives them a big opportunity to turn things in their favor. Pierce said each quarterback will play one quarter against the Vikings, so they should get close to the same number of reps regardless of who takes the first snap.

The Vikings probably won’t utilize their full defensive scheme in the preseason, but coordinator Brian Flores’ blitz-happy, aggressive approach should still present a unique challenge for both quarterbacks, especially with receiver Davante Adams out (he is staying in Las Vegas in anticipation of his wife soon giving birth). While the quarterbacks can’t do it alone — this is a proving ground for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and the rest of the offense, too — whichever quarterback navigates it better will earn a leg up in the race to become the starter.

“This preseason game will be very telling,” Pierce said. “I want to see these guys take care of the ball, manage the team and take care of situational football.”

GO DEEPERRaiders set to leave training camp closer and tougher ahead of first preseason tilt

2. The position battle between Thayer Munford and DJ Glaze

Munford had a stranglehold on the starting right tackle job until the first padded practice of training camp on July 30. He hurt his hand and had to leave the field for a lengthy period, which thrust Glaze in with the first-team offense. Glaze wasn’t perfect, but he more than held his own.

While Munford has since shaken off his injury, Glaze has gradually earned more first-string snaps. Although Munford still has an edge on the rookie, the role appears to be far from locked up. Munford and Glaze should play against the Vikings. If Glaze outperforms Munford, things could start to get really interesting.

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3. The rest of the rookies

The Raiders used 12 personnel — one running back, two tight ends and two receivers — in their official offensive depth chart released Monday, so Brock Bowers will start alongside Michael Mayer. It’s unclear how much they’ll play, but it’ll provide a glimpse of the impact Bowers can make and how he’ll be used alongside Mayer. They’ve each had strong training camps and looked good in the live team scrimmage on Aug. 3, so expectations are high.

Guard Jackson Powers-Johnson is on the active/physically unable to perform list due to a concussion and won’t play, but there are some other rookies to keep an eye on. Running back Dylan Laube has received a lot of training camp hype due to his receiving ability, but can he find success running the ball against NFL size and speed?

Cornerback Decamerion Richardson has been a special teams standout while also competing for the third outside cornerback role behind Jack Jones and Jakorian Bennett. Now, he’ll get a longer run to show what he can do.

Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg has been pushing Luke Masterson for the third spot in the rotation. They’ll likely be the second-team linebacker tandem. Eichenberg will be vying to prove he deserves a larger role.

Looking toward the end of the depth chart, undrafted rookie receiver Ramel Keyton has flashed a bit during training camp with his explosive speed. There may be a roster spot up for grabs at receiver following the sudden retirement of Michael Gallup, and Keyton could get into the mix with a strong performance.

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4. The run game

The Raiders rushing attack was a massive disappointment last year as Josh Jacobs struggled to stay healthy and the offensive line regressed drastically. With Zamir White stepping in to replace Jacobs, a reconfigured O-line and the switch to a zone-based run scheme under Getsy, the Raiders are hoping for vastly improved results in 2024. And with the issues at quarterback, that’ll likely be necessary for the offense to have a fighting chance.

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The offensive line won’t be at full strength Saturday with left tackle Kolton Miller (shoulder/PUP list) and Powers-Johnson out, but the unit should still be able to perform at a solid level. Fill-in left tackle Andrus Peat and replacement left guard Cody Whitehair are experienced veterans and should be serviceable. Plus, tight ends Bowers, Mayer and Harrison Bryant have been lauded for their blocking during training camp, and it’s time to put that on display. If the blocking is serviceable, it’s on White, backup Alexander Mattison and the other backs to take advantage.

“I do want to see them in a preseason game,” Pierce said. “It’ll be really good to see those guys in this offense going against somebody else.”

5. What the defense does against another offense

The Raiders defense has been dominant during training camp, which has naturally raised the question of whether it’s just beating up on a bad offense. Patrick Graham’s unit finished ninth in scoring defense last year, brought back nine starters and added a massive upgrade at defensive tackle in Wilkins, so the doubts may be a bit misguided, but they’re out there. This is an early chance for the defense to answer those questions.

(Photo of Gardner Minshew: Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

Raiders-Vikings: 5 things to watch in Las Vegas' preseason opener (4)Raiders-Vikings: 5 things to watch in Las Vegas' preseason opener (5)

Tashan Reed is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Las Vegas Raiders. He previously covered Florida State football for The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic, he covered high school and NAIA college sports for the Columbia Missourian, Mizzou football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball for SBNation blog Rock M Nation, wrote stories focused on the African-American community for The St. Louis American and was a sports intern at the Commercial Appeal in Memphis through the Sports Journalism Institute. Follow Tashan on Twitter @tashanreed

Raiders-Vikings: 5 things to watch in Las Vegas' preseason opener (2025)
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