Raiders Top Five Opponents by Position: Safeties
The Raiders' match-up by positions continues on the defensive side, and we now turn our focus to the safeties.
As we look into the top five safeties this year, a few rising stars are emerging to be the Raiders' top threat at the position heading into the 2020 NFL season.
If the Raiders plan to attack with the deep ball this year, they better know where some of these ball-hawking safeties will be.
Whether these safeties come in to assist against the running game, blitz or stay behind in coverage, they can create havoc and can easily intercept the ball and turn things around real quick.
Three of the top five safeties the Raiders will face this year are within the division.
Let's start at No. 5 with Micah Hyde of the Buffalo Bills. Hyde came to Buffalo in 2017 and has settled as a leader in the backfield. In 2019, Hyde recorded 56 tackles, one interception and two forced fumbles. Hyde is a player that does not shy away from stopping the run and blitzing on specific packages. The emerging Bills will travel to Las Vegas in Week 4, and expect this game to be a showdown.
At No. 4 is rising star Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers. James missed most of the 2019 season due to injury. In 2018, James was graded at 87.8 by PFF, the fifth-highest for a safety. That season, he recorded three interceptions, 79 tackles and four sacks as a rookie. When healthy, James can be one of the best safeties in the league. The Raiders match up against the Chargers on Weeks 9 and 15, and this seems to be one of the toughest secondary match-ups of the season.
At No. 3 is safety Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots. The Patriots might have taken a blow on defense, as linebacker Dont'a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung have opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19 precautions. The Patriots still McCourty, ranked second in the NFL with six interceptions and added two forced fumbles in 2019. The Raiders' Week 3 match-up against the Patriots seems to get more comfortable as the season comes upon us. Let's hope the Raiders take advantage of those open holes and force the secondary players to create mismatches and errors on defense.
At No. 2 is divisional rival Tyrann Mathieu of the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming off a Super Bowl victory, Mathieu became the X-factor on defense that helped the Chiefs get back into position to wins. In the 2019 season, Mathieu recorded four interceptions, fifth-among safeties, 71 tackles and two sacks. Being among the most targeted safeties in league with 76 targets, Mathieu allowed 51 passing completions, or 67 percent. Recently named No. 39 in the top 100 NFL players by the players themselves, the Raiders will see him twice this year in Weeks 5 and 11.
We have named Justin Simmons of the Denver Broncos as the Raiders' No. 1 safety matchup heading into the 2020 NFL season. It might be a surprise to a few, but as a true safety, Simmons is an underrated player who is ready to make a jump and solidify himself as one of the best safeties in the game. In 2019, his four interceptions tied for the fifth-most interceptions by safety. At the end of the season, PFF graded Simmons at 90.7, second-best among safeties. While his name is not out there yet, Raider fans know the impact that Simmons can have on the field. The Raiders' high-powered offense will give Simmons and the rest of the Broncos a run for their paychecks in Weeks 10 and 17.
There was another notable safety on this list, but Jamal Adams of the New York Jets was traded to the Seattle Seahawks, leaving a spot open for a potential safety to fill in his place.
Other notable safeties the Raiders will face but missed the list are Keanu Neal of the Atlanta Falcons, who is returning from injury, and Marcus Williams, another rising star in the New Orleans Saints secondary.
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