The Oakland Raiders opened the preseason tonight at University of Phoenix Stadium, but ultimately lost 20-10.
In the grand scheme of things, the final score of tonight’s loss won’t hold too much weight, but there certainly are some major takeaways from the loss.
Here are four, quick things that stood out tonight in the desert.
1. The big guns watched from the sidelines
Unsurprisingly, most of the Raiders marquee players weren’t active participants in tonight’s game against the Cardinals, instead watching the action unfold from the sideline.
Defensively, defensive end Khalil Mack and linebacker Bruce Irvin didn’t hit the field, and offensively, quarterback Derek Carr ceded the starting responsibilities – at least for one night – to EJ Manuel.