We thought that was a nice way of putting it.
The Oakland Raiders left quarterback Carson Palmer in for ten snaps during Monday night’s preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Palmer played three possessions. They ended in an interception and two punts.
Palmer didn’t get much help from his teammates -- slot receiver Jacoby Ford had two brutal drops -- but the veteran quarterback did throw a pick into double coverage when trying to hit Ford deep. Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh read Palmer’s eyes all the way. As Ross Tucker of Sirius XM NFL Radio noted, Palmer was also sacked on a play that saw the Raiders try to block DeMarcus Ware with tight end Richard Gordon.
And that’s a mismatch.
Running back Darren McFadden was the lone bright spot on Oakland’s first-team offense. He only played the first possession, but rushed twice for 20 yards and gained 18 yards on a catch after lining up at slot receiver.
While the Raiders boast impressive skill-position talent, they are perhaps the thinnest team in football. So despite the slow start, rookie coach Dennis Allen was smart to pull his starters early.
They’ll hope to do a bit better the next time out.