The Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars took part in the ceremonial Hall of Fame Game to kick off the NFL preseason, and at the helm for the Raiders was former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who gave Jarrett Stidham the start at quarterback.
The 25-year-old had a solid day under center, going 8-for-15 passing for 96 yards with a 73.2 passer rating. His best pass of the night ended as an incompletion to receiver Tyron Johnson, who could not haul in an over-the-shoulder dime by Stidham that very well could have been a 50-yard touchdown. The throw was perfectly placed despite the inexperienced signal-caller facing pressure immediately and getting sandwiched by two defenders milliseconds after releasing the ball.
The play of the day for Stidham came from his lone rushing attempt, a 12-yard scramble for a score.
Stidham was traded from the Patriots to the Raiders alongside a late-round pick swap in May.
He projects to be the second-string quarterback behind Derek Carr this season and looked more than comfortable with the Raiders. Granted, he has been in McDaniel’s system for four seasons now and faced a bunch of fellow backups.
Still, it’s nice to see Stidham looking sharp for his new team, a roster littered with familiar faces for Patriots fans.
