Raiders Take Down Dallas in First NFL Pre-Season Game

The Oakland Raiders have been a trendy pick by many NFL handicappers to be a surprise team in 2010. After watching their first pre-season game against the Dallas Cowboys, it looks as though those football experts may be right. The Raiders scored 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to pull out a 17-9 win over Dallas on Thursday.

It’s obviously far too early to anoint the Raiders the Super Bowl Champions this year, but they showed improvement in every facet of the game Thursday. Defensively, they held Dallas to just 263 yards, and returned a Matt Nichols pass 48 yards for a touchdown to seal the win. Quarterback Jason Campbell saw limited action against Dallas, but didn’t make any major mistakes. That will be the key to the Raiders season this year.

Unfortunately for Oakland, they took JaMarcus Russell as the first pick in the draft a few years back, and have had to suffer through incredibly difficult times with him under center. Now that Russell is gone, the Raiders are breathing a sigh of relief as they can finally put a quality quarterback on the field that may give them a legitimate chance to win. Jason Campbell may not be the answer, but he certainly gives them a much better chance to move the ball on offense. Campbell was picked up from Washington after Donovan McNabb was brought in during the off-season. He will need to be much more protective with the ball as the Raiders aren’t at the same level as the Redskins were last season when he made 24 turnovers though interceptions and fumbles. However, he is much more capable of making accurate throws down field, and will open up the running game for Michael Bush and Darren McFadden.

The Vegas oddsmakers have predicted that the Raiders will win 6 games this season. This may not seem like a huge surprise over last year when they won 5, but they have a much more difficult schedule to navigate in 2010. It will be up to the offensive line to allow Campbell enough time to get the ball to his receivers. If he can maintain his composure, and not make mistakes, the Oakland Raiders may turn quite a few heads this year,

Related posts:

1. Sunday Pre-Season Action: Raiders vs. Saints
2. 2010 NFL Predictions: Oakland Raiders
3. New Look Redskins Shred Buffalo in 1st Pre-Season Game
4. NFL Pre-Season: Philadelphia vs. Baltimore
5. Upstart Browns and Lions Battle in NFL Pre-Season

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