After further review of the Raiders’ 31-27 preseason loss Friday night to Arizona, some quick thoughts:
- The scariest sight of the night for the Raiders -- and there were plenty of them -- was wide receiver Jacoby Ford limping off the field late in the first quarter with a sprained foot. Ford missed six games with a sprained foot last season, when the injury also struck both WR Denarius Moore and RB Darren McFadden. Moore has been battling a hamstring injury since minicamp and hasn’t appeared in an exhibition game. The Raiders can’t afford to lose Ford, who doubles as their kickoff and punt returner, too. Ford was on crutches when he returned to the field from the locker room Friday night. There’s been no word yet on the severity of Ford’s injury. That could come later on Saturday during a conference call with coach Dennis Allen.
- QB Carson Palmer has to put a quick end to his habit of throwing risky passes into heavy coverage, which has carried over from last season when he was picked off 16 times in just 10 games. Palmer was intercepted once in the exhibition opener against Dallas on an ill-advised deep pass when he didn’t look off safety Gerald Sensabaugh. Against Arizona, he tried to force a pass to tight end Richard Gordon on a seam route. He badly overthrew Gordon, and safety Kerry Rhodes accepted the gift and returned it 60 yards. There’s no rule in the NFL against checking down and dumping the ball off for a short gain.
- Carl Ihenacho, a first-year outside linebacker from San Jose State, has all but secured a spot on the 53-man roster. Ihenacho’s strip-sack of Arizona QB Ryan Lindley turned into an instant touchdown for defensive end Hall Davis. The Raiders are searching for edge pass rushers, and Ihenacho, who had 17 sacks and 33½ tackles for loss in college, has stood out since OTAs.
- Wide receiver Rod Streater could go from being an undrafted rookie to a starter next week when the Raiders play Detroit in their third exhibition game, traditionally the most important tune-up of the preseason. With Moore and Ford injured, Streater is the obvious choice for a promotion. He caught 7 passes for 43 yards against Arizona and has 13 catches for 109 yards overall in two games. He’s not a burner, but he has a knack for getting open and catching the ball, and he has already earned Palmer’s trust.
- Special teams continued to be a disaster zone. Arizona safety Justin Bethel blocked a punt and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Bethel, lined up on the right edge, shot past Raiders running back Lonyae Miller, who whiffed on his attempt to block him. The Raiders also had a PAT blocked -- veteran Dave Tollefson got beat that time. They gave up a 46-yard punt return to Patrick Peterson, and Arizona’s William Powell averaged 33.5 yards on four kick returns. The Raiders aren’t good enough to survive so many mistakes on special teams.
- Running back Mike Goodson had a nightmare debut as a Raider that could take some time to get over. He had a reputation at Carolina for being a fumbler, and he fumbled twice against Arizona before leaving the game with a chest injury. Running backs who can’t hold onto the ball wind up on the bench or out of a job.
- Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly said Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb looked “skittish” after taking a few hits, and the Raiders’ defense could have that effect on plenty of quarterbacks this year. They had four sacks Friday night, one each by Kelly, Ihenacho, defensive end Lamarr Houston and strong safety Tyvon Branch. New defensive coordinator Jason Tarver has an attacking, aggressive scheme that should create plenty of sacks and turnovers.
- The Raiders’ zone blocking scheme is still a work in progress, especially near the goal line. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp’s attack is based on establishing a dangerous running game, getting defenses to overpursue laterally and then burning them on an assortment of play-action passes. The Raiders have to prove they can run before the offense can truly get untracked.
Follow Raiders reporter Eric Gilmore on Twitter: @CBSSportsNFLOAK.
