Why will the Raiders beat the Jaguars in the first game of the NFL preseason?
New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels returns to Canton, Ohio, the city where he grew up, to lead the Raiders against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It’s never too early to have a football game to watch, and fans are 100% ready to witness the preseason kickoff.
Follow the live action here Jaguars vs Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars square off tonight in the Hall of Fame game.
While Jacksonville begins laying the foundations for a campaign in which its objective is no longer simply to compete for the first overall selection in the next draft, Las Vegas is shown as a contender for a postseason position in the AFC.
The Raiders acquired high-impact players on both sides of the ball, like wide receiver Davante Adams and sack monster Chandler Jones.
The Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio will be the venue for the first game of the new league schedule that will begin at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
See also: What to watch for this preseason
The Jaguars and Raiders won’t meet again until Week 9 of the 2022 season, but despite this game’s exhibition status, all eyes are already on this matchup as the first real look inside the league.
Like any preseason match, the first-team players will only be used for a few drives, while the rest of the time is designated for men seeking a spot on the final rosters.
The game kicks off a weekend of celebrations in Canton, which runs through Sunday and includes an eight-member Hall of Fame induction ceremony to honor three-time Super Bowl winner Richard Seymour, Tony Boselli, Cliff Branch, LeRoy Butler, Sam Mills and Bryant Young. Veteran coach Dick Vermeil and former official Art McNally will also be new members of the Hall of Fame.
Why will the Raiders beat the Jaguars?
As mentioned, don’t expect to see the starters playing for an extended period of time. Jacksonville will be without franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrance and backup CJ Beathard, who is out with a groin injury.
Jake Luton and Kyle Sloter will be the quarterbacks who will split the snaps today.
It’s very likely that the Raiders won’t put Derek Carr below center either- last year the quarterback didn’t play in a single preseason game- but still the team’s talent base is more robust than that of Jacksonville.
Perhaps the biggest motivating force for the Raiders to win this game will come from the sidelines. New Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels returns to Canton, the city where he grew up, but now he will be leading an NFL team.
McDaniels will have a night to reconnect with his past and give the Raiders a great opportunity to start the year winning.