Nathan Peterman shines as Raiders defeat Seahawks in preseason matchup

Former Pitt quarterback Nathan Peterman put on a solid performance for the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, as he led the team to a 20-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks in a preseason matchup. The quarterback also had the help of fellow Pitt alums Jimmy Morrissey, who blocked for him at center, and D.J. Turner, who led the team in targets and receptions.

The game was unusual because of the Raiders’ limited quarterback depth, which prompted Raiders head coach Jon Gruden to give Peterman all but one snap in the game. Had Peterman taken that last snap, he would have been the only NFL signal-caller to play an entire game in Week 1 of the preseason.

All told, the former Pitt standout attempted 39 passes, of which he connected on 29 for a completion rate of 74.4 percent. And although he did not throw a touchdown pass and saw one pass picked off by Seahawks safety Ryan Neal, the game was viewed as a success, as he threw for 246 yards and led the Raiders offense down the field on four scoring drives.

Peterman attributed his success to a constant feeling of having something to prove, which is understandable, given the rocky start to his career he experienced in Buffalo.

“Every time you go out there — whether it’s preseason, practice, whatever it is — I’ve always got something to prove, I feel like,” Peterman said after the game. “That’s what it was today, and just happy to go out there and have some fun and get a win.”

As for Peterman’s fellow Pitt alums, Turner was targeted eight times and came up with seven catches for 43 yards, which ranked third on the team, and Morrissey was part of a Raiders line that gave up four sacks but also paved the way for scoring drives of 83, 87, 78 and 43 yards.

Peterman, Turner and Morrissey will meet up with fellow Pitt alums Aaron Donald and Paris Ford on Wednesday, when the Raiders head to Los Angeles for a joint practice with the Rams. The teams will then face off in Week 2 of the preseason at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. That game will kick off at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday and will air on the NFL Network.