Raiders 2022 Preseason Preview: New England Patriots Defense
The Las Vegas Raiders end their preseason matchup against the New England Patriots, the team they acquired the most players and coaches this offseason.
This will be the final preseason game before the start of the regular season, which means this will be the final opportunity for players to make a statement before finalizing the 53-man roster.
The Patriots have been viewed as the team in the AFC East that on paper got worse during the offseason, and during its final preseason game, they will be looking to solve some questions on defense.
They come into Allegiant Stadium with hopes of testing their reloaded defense against the Raiders' high-powered offense.
But don’t get too excited about this one, as both teams will face each other once again in week 15, little will be shown on how both teams will truly operate come to their second meeting in Las Vegas.
The Patriots' offensive side of the ball doesn’t have as many concerns and moving pieces as the defense, which is why my biggest dilemma for the Patriots this preseason is how their defense will transition out of their veteran players.
Starting with the linebacker group, Dont’a Hightower remains a free agent, and it seems as if the Patriots have moved on from him and rather give their younger guys a chance to show up.
“In terms of the Patriots' style of linebacker, I honestly don't know what to expect at this point. If I had to guess I'd say that Ja'Whaun Bentley and Raekwon McMillan will be among the starters and both are smaller than Hightower but neither is undersized and exceptionally fast,” said Patriots.com writer Paul Perillo.
“Mack Wilson should be a factor as well and he's more of the smaller, quicker type that you described. Josh Uche and Ronnie Perkins will be in the mix, and Perkins in particularly needs to be able to hold up on the outside opposite Matthew Judon against the run. There are a lot of candidates at linebacker but almost as many unknowns at this point so we'll have to wait and see if there is any change in terms of style,” added Perillo.
The biggest departure on the team besides Josh McDaniels this offseason has been cornerback J.C. Jackson, who signed with divisional rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jackson’s departure leaves a big hole in the secondary and it might require more than a player or two to replace him.
The Patriots did draft two outstanding college cornerbacks during the 2022 NFL Draft, but that’s still no answer to replacing Jackson’s impact on the field.
As I anticipate the potential matchups against the Patriots, this will be a good opportunity for the Raiders to execute plays down the middle of the field, and help secure more depth in the short passing game.
The Raiders' preseason finale will be at home on Friday, Aug. 26 at 5:15 PM PDT.
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