What We Saw: Preseason Week 3

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Raiders @ Cardinals

Final Score: Cardinals 20, Raiders 10

Writer: Kevan Downs

The Raiders came out starting with their top unit while the Cardinals ran with their reserves. As could be expected, Geno Smith made quick work of the Arizona backup defense, leading the Raiders to a touchdown on their first possession. Maxx Crosby nearly singlehandedly blew up every offensive drive for the Cardinals while he was in the game. Even when the Raiders took the top guys out, the pass rush was a problem all night for quarterback Clayton Tune, who played the entire game for the Cardinals.The Cardinals finally broke the 10-10 tie in the second half after Bam Knight broke free for a 67-yard touchdown.

Four Up:

Dont’e Thornton Jr. – hauled in a touchdown pass from Geno Smith on their first possession.
Geno Smith – looked very much in control of the offense. The Raiders mixed in some varying pace of play over their drive that led to a touchdown.
Simi Fehoko – caught another touchdown pass adding to his claim of a roster spot
Bam Knight – broke free for a touchdown in the second half and logged the most efficient night of the Arizona backup running backs.

Three Down:

Jack Bech – saw two targets tonight with which he recorded his lone reception in the second half. Already passed on the depth chart by fellow rookie, Dont’e Thornton Jr., it should be expected to not see much of Bech in the offense this season.
Sincere McCormick – was easily the least explosive looking amongst Raiders running backs.
Emari Demercado – had the least efficient night of the Cardinals’ backs.

Las Vegas Raiders

Quarterback

Geno Smith: 2/3, 26 yards, TD

Geno played just one series and made it an efficient one, leading the offense to a touchdown. He targeted rookie Dont’e Thornton Jr. twice on the drive, the latter resulting in a touchdown. As he did with the Seahawks for the last couple years, he could definitely keep several Raiders pass catchers relevant this season.

Aidan O’Connell: 3/4, 36 yards

O’Connell played in two series, one resulting in a fumble, recovered by the Cardinals, and the other taking the offense down for a field goal. He suffered an upper body injury that will require surgery, keeping him out for 6-8 weeks. Raiders fans need to hope Geno stays healthy.

Cam Miller: 12/24, 102 Yards

Targeted Jack Bech for his lone reception of the night. Miller and the offense were unable to sustain drives and did not score with him at the helm.

Running Back

Ashton Jeanty: 2 carries, 5 yards

He runs hard with every opportunity and absorbs contact so well with every hit from a defender. His running style will wear down defenses and help open up the passing game for Geno.

Raheem Mostert: 9 carries, 32 yards

Similar to White, Mostert is only expected to see some touches to spell Jeanty when needed. His roster spot seems locked in.

Zamir White: 9 carries, 42 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards

Looked solid in his opportunities. He may see limited work to help take some of the workload off Jeanty.

Sincere McCormick: 4 carries, 10 yards

Dylan Laube: 4 carries, 7 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 7 yards

Chris Collier: 2 carries, 4 yards

Cam Miller: 1 carry, 3 yards

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Dont’e Thornton Jr.: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 26 yards, TD

Targeted twice on the opening drive with Geno, Thornton Jr. could have sneaky value this year. Already ahead of rookie Bech on the depth chart, Thornton Jr. is gaining more trust in the offense. He just missed what would have been a touchdown pass last week, but this week hauled in a tightly contested pass for a score. It feels like he and Geno are starting to build a real connection.

Dont’e Thornton Jr.
-Extremely rare size/speed combination
-6’4.5” and runs a 4.3!!!
-Has been starting X receiver for Raiders all summer
-2024 Ranks in the Nation:
-1st in YAC/Rec (10.7)
-3rd in YPRR (3.72)
-27th in ADOT (16.5)pic.twitter.com/O68NChhUzz

— Ben Cummins (@BenCumminsFF) August 24, 2025

Jack Bech: 2 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards

Quiet night for the second round rookie, bringing in one of his two targets.

Ian Thomas: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 27 yards

While certainly not a threat to Brock Bowers, Thomas showed he could stick around on the roster as a backup, potentially unseating Mayer as the TE2.

Shedrick Jackson: 2 targets, 1 reception, 29 yards

Albert Okwuegbunam: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards

Carter Runyon: 3 targets, 1 reception, 12 yards

Justin Shorter: 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards

Michael Mayer: 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards

Marquez Callaway: 3 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards

Collin Johnson: 2 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards

Tommy Mellott: 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards

Phillip Dorsett: 2 targets

Jakobi Meyers: 1 target

Ketron Jackson Jr.: 1 target

Arizona Cardinals

Quarterback

Clayton Tune: 12/20, 83 yards, TD | 5 carries, 47 yards

Slow start for Tune and the offense. They struggled against Maxx Crosby and the Raiders 1s on defense resulting in back to back 3 and outs before scoring a touchdown, capitalizing on the fumble recovery by the defense. Tune had some solid completions, looking most comfortable when rolling out, and gained a lot of yardage on the ground but is the clear third quarterback after Brissett.

Running Back

Bam Knight: 5 carries, 83 yards, TD

Knight broke free for a big touchdown run in the second half adding to his case to stay on the roster.

GOOD NIGHT, BAM KNIGHT

67-yard HOUSE CALL pic.twitter.com/KvG5RS7ysw

— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) August 24, 2025

Michael Carter: 5 carries, 47 yards

Turned nothing into something on a 3rd and 14 draw. It looked like he was getting bottled up, but was able to escape and bounce outside for a 38 yard run. Similar to Knight, hoping to stay on the roster.

Emari Demercado: 7 carries, 22 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards

An inefficient night for Demercado. He wasn’t able to break anything open for a highlight play like Knight and Carter.

DeeJay Dallas: 6 carries, 11 yards

May stick around on the roster on special teams as he was also fielding kick offs.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Simi Fehoko: 2 targets, 1 reception, 10 yards, TD

Brought in one of his two targets for a 10 yard touchdown reception, now bringing one in in each of his last two preseason games. Followed that up by immediately making a play on special teams on the following kick off. He should be able to land a roster spot.