Oakland Raiders vs. Detroit Lions 2018: Betting Odds, Start Time, TV Channel For NFL Preseason Game

The second Jon Gruden Era officially begins with the Oakland Raiders Friday night when the team hosts the Detroit Lions in their first game of the 2018 NFL preseason. One day after Week 1 began with 24 teams on the schedule, the Raiders and Lions are two of just four teams that will take the field.

Friday’s game will be broadcast on national TV. NFL Network will have kick off at 10:30 p.m. EDT after the conclusion of the game between the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets.

A couple of Oakland’s top players won’t suit up for the opener. Left tackle Donald Penn is still working his way back from an injury, and linebacker Khalil Mack still hasn’t reported to training camp as he holds out for a new contract.

Derek Carr will play, though his time on the field will be limited. The Raiders might want to be especially cautious with their quarterback, considering he’s suffered injuries in each of the last two seasons.

EJ Manuel and Connor Cook will get the majority of the snaps under center as they compete for the backup quarterback position.

“I don’t have an official count but this game is not about Derek Carr, not yet,” Gruden told reporters. “It’s about finding the right 53 men. I think you saw today we’ve got a lot of contenders. There are a lot of guys that have put themselves on the brink of making this football team and we got to make sure we give them every opportunity to showcase their skills.”

Much like Carr, Matthew Stafford won’t see a ton of time on the field. The quarterback attempted three passes in Week 1 of the 2017 preseason.

“Just execute and communicate at a high level,” Stafford said Wednesday, regarding what he hopes to accomplish in Oakland. “Get out there and communicate and make sure everybody's on the same page. At the end of the day, on offense if everybody's communicating on the same page you're going to have a chance to be successful. That's the biggest thing, go out there and make sure that we're just playing good, sound football.”

Stafford will be playing in a different offensive system than last year since the Lions also have a new head coach. Matt Patricia makes his debut after being the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator for six years.

The Raiders are three-point favorites at home, per OddsShark. The over/under is 37.

Neither team made last season’s playoffs, though Detroit did have a 9-7 record. Oakland was one of the NFL’s biggest disappointments, going 6-10 and winning half as many games as they did in 2016.