Ameer and Zamir: Raiders’ run game revitalized in preseason win over Jaguars

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah threw a spinning roundhouse kick to celebrate the first touchdown of the NFL season, and it might as well have landed straight to the face of nearby Jaguars mascot Jaxson de Ville.

Las Vegas knocked out Jacksonville 27-11 in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game Thursday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium with a new-look running game.

“I think it’s always good for the backs to carry the ball in the preseason,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said in his postgame news conference. “There’s a lot of things that can happen when you get tackled and hit that you can’t simulate in practice. I think all of our guys handled the ball well tonight.”

The Raiders ran 33 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns to secure victory in McDaniels’ Las Vegas debut as head coach. The 46-year-old Canton native didn’t seem surprised about his team’s success on the ground, but most others who have watched the Raiders the last couple years must have been.

Las Vegas has been one of the least efficient running teams in the NFL, largely because of a mediocre offensive line, and it wasn’t necessarily expected to change under McDaniels. Known for holding more of a pass-happy philosophy as the longtime offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, McDaniels seemed likely to continue making running the ball a secondary focus in Las Vegas.   

That wasn’t the case on Thursday night. Granted, it’s just a single preseason game — one where Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr and his top three targets in Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller all sat out — and will likely hold no bearing on regular-season game plans, but McDaniels had to have liked what he saw from a rushing perspective.

Four different players broke runs of more than 10 yards including rookie fourth-round draft pick Zamir White who led the way with 11 carries for 52 yards. White both blasted through arm tackles and made aggressive cuts to star for the Raiders in the first half.

“He did that at Georgia,” McDaniels said. “He ran hard with the ball in his hands, and he’s tough to tackle. He finished his runs the right way, bringing a physical element to the game and the team. It was a good opportunity for him to get in there.”

White had missed a stretch of training camp with an undisclosed injury, but said he felt 100% against the Jaguars. He wore the biggest grin in the Raiders’ locker room afterwards, which he attributed to realizing his lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.

“I really love the game,” White said. “Since I was probably 6 years old, just going out there doing drills with the older guys, I love ball. It’s just my life right now.”

Many may have thought White would get the start, but McDaniels instead provided the first big surprise of his tenure when the offense ran out to the field for the opening snap. Pro Bowl running back and team captain from last year Josh Jacobs was inside the huddle, even on a night when virtually every other big-name player rested as is customary for the NFL’s first preseason week.

Making Jacobs play for a couple series could be interpreted as a slight, especially with the Raiders likely to implement a running back by committee this season, but McDaniels didn’t describe it as such.

“Everybody was ready to go, and we made the decisions we thought were the right decisions for our team based on depth, based on just wanting to get guys opportunities in there,” he said.

Jacobs excelled during his short time in the game, running five times for 30 yards and catching a pair of passes for 14 yards. Then he stepped aside for White and Abdullah, and the duo of newcomers really shined.

Abdullah, signed as a free agent this offseason, had two receptions for 23 yards in addition to his touchdown run. He would have been considered a long shot to make the Raiders’ final 53-man roster coming into the game, and still may be, but the number of snaps he took can’t be ignored.

Neither can the situations involving other running backs further down the roster. Kenyan Drake looked sluggish with five rushes for eight yards against Jacksonville in his first appearance coming off ankle surgery, and even limped off the field at one point.

Former Patriot veteran Brandon Bolden, presumed to be the Raiders’ primary passing down back, didn’t play at all. That could be because McDaniels already trusts Bolden and knows what he’s capable of, but it also could be because Abdullah is looking like the better option.

Abdullah also returned one punt for 13 yards, making the most of all his opportunities.

“It was crazy,” White said of Abdullah’s touchdown celebration. “That was on. That was cool.”

The Raiders slowed down and played more predictably in the second half, but still averaged 4.8 yards per carry for the game — nearly a half-yard better than they did all of last season. Recently signed running back Austin Walter logged eight carries for 49 yards with the game all but decided, including a 22-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter where he made multiple cuts to make defenders miss.

Las Vegas’ only other touchdown aside from Abdullah’s and Walter’s came in the second quarter when quarterback Jarrett Stidham took off to an empty part of the field down the sideline for a 9-yard score.

Stidham also threw the ball somewhat effectively, passing for 96 yards on 8-for-15 passing, but protection was an issue. He was sacked three times — fellow Raider quarterbacks Nick Mullens and Chase Garbers were each sacked once, too — and often didn’t have enough time to go through his reads.

The last two years, the Raiders’ offensive line was better at pass blocking than run blocking but it looked like the opposite against the Jaguars. Jacksonville edge rusher Travon Walker, this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick and White’s former Georgia teammate, outclassed Raiders tackle Brandon Parker repeatedly.

White joked he would have “a little bit” of bragging rights next time he chats with Walker, but both look primed for big things after one preseason game.

“We still talk a lot,” White said.  

White couldn’t wait to get back to Las Vegas and “compete some more” in practice. He said he wasn’t surprised with how well multiple running backs played considering how much they’ve pushed each other through training camp.

There’s a lot of reason for excitement with the Raiders’ passing game, but perhaps the running attack can be just as high-flying. White and Abdullah certainly were against the Jaguars.

“The whole game, I was just trying to lock in and be on task with every single thing,” White said.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or