NFL Preseason Week 1 Preview: Oakland Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Raiders 2013 season is finally underway as the Raiders will host the Dallas Cowboys in their preseason opener tonight at Oakland Coliseum.

While the Raiders will be making their preseason debut, the Cowboys are coming off a 24-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio this past Sunday.

This will be the first look we get at the Raiders and all eyes, of course, will be on the quarterbacks. Matt Flynn is listed at the top of the depth chart and he will play, though it probably won’t be more than a couple series.

Terrelle Pryor is trying to wrestle the starting job away from Flynn so it will be good to see if he has improved since we saw him at the end of last season. Rookies Tyler Wilson, a fourth-round draft pick, and Matt McGloin are also sure to see plenty of time in the game tonight.

Aside from the quarterbacks, another position battle to watch for the Raiders will be the wide receivers. Denarius Moore and Rod Streater are listed as the starters, but guys like Juron Criner, Jacoby Ford, and Brice Butler are all battling to get on the field and they will all be looking to make a big impression in this first game.

On defense, the Raiders are bringing in a re-vamped secondary after adding veteran cornerbacks Tracy Porter, Mike Jenkins, and free safety Charles Woodson. Rookie first-round pick D.J. Hayden won’t be seen until the third preseason game, but it will be good to see how these guys stack up against a Cowboys offense that ran the ball very well against the Dolphins. Cowboys starters such as Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray, and Dez Bryant are likely to see some time on the field tonight as well so the secondary will have their hands full.

While kicker Sebastian Janikowski will be in kicking field goals for the Silver & Black for the forseeable future, the punter position is up for grabs with the departure of Shane Lechler. Strong-legged youngster Marquette King can kick the ball a mile but will have to be more consistent to unseat veteran Chris Kluwe.

All-in-all we must remember not to take too much away from the first preseason game of the year, but we can all agree it’s great to see the Raiders out on the field again.