Winners and losers from the Las Vegas Raiders’ preseason loss to the Arizona Cardinals that was as beneficial as a loss gets
The Las Vegas Raiders played their preseason Week 1 game against the Cardinals, and there were three losers and three winners in the game.
The Las Vegas Raiders played their first preseason game of the 2026 season on Thursday. A lot of good things happened, even in their loss to the Arizona Cardinals. But there was also some bad. As the rest of the week goes on, we will surely look back on it all. But for now, it’s time to talk about the players who helped themselves and made things worse. In other words, the winners and losers.
Raiders winners and losers after preseason loss to Cardinals
Winner: Jack Bech, WR
There may not be a bigger winner on the Raiders after this game than Bech. Not only did he score a touchdown, but he made his presence felt several other times. On the first drive of the game, he had a big third-down catch. It kept the chains moving into what would eventually become a touchdown drive. Then, two drives later, he caught his first-ever touchdown pass. Bech ran a short slant, and Fernando Mendoza fit it through the tight window.
But there may not have been a more impressive play than the one he had that sparked the second touchdown drive. With Bech in the slot, the Raiders ran the ball up the middle with Mike Washington Jr. The rookie running back hit a nasty cutback at the same exact time Bech made a crazy block. He completely took the defender out of the play and opened up a running lane that gave Washington the space to pull away from 56 yards. They went on to score that drive because of that run.
Loser: Aiden O’Connell, QB
He had some nice plays, but ultimately, he played the worst of the three main quarterbacks. O’Connell finished his day 4/13 with the third-stringers, against third-stringers. And even if he had a better day, it wouldn’t have been talked about much because Fernando Mendoza was the No. 1 overall pick.
And Kirk Cousins’ first and only drive was amazing. So, there was always a world where O’Connell was a “loser” in this situation. This doesn’t mean that O’Connell can’t have a crazy good game against the Houston Texans, because he absolutely can.
Winner: Mike Washington Jr., RB
The Las Vegas Raiders may have found themselves another great running back. Washington Jr. did some amazing things in the game, including the biggest play of the game that wasn’t a touchdown. He pulled off a big 56-yard run, and as we all know, that run led to a touchdown drive. Not only that play, but the ability for Washington to breakdown the defense overtime was crucial. It’s kind of why the big play ended up happening. The Raiders have themselves a guy.
Loser: Jermod McCoy, CB
This one comes off rude, because we aren’t calling these players “losers” but it does come off that way. But, McCoy is a guy who took the brunt of the fire on Thursday. He had two touchdowns scored on him and was kind of picked on all day. But, maybe that was good for him. We have to remember this was McCoy’s first football action in two years. And, it looked like it. You just have to hope that he bounces back well, and it feels like he will.
