Close Look at Las Vegas Raiders vs. New England Patriots
The Las Vegas Raiders have another chance to silence the critics when they travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots.
Like with the New Orleans Saints, the Raiders will need to do a lot of things right for a win.
We’ll be looking at the keys to that potential win as well as making final predictions.
Key #1: Dominate Time of Possession
A big key in the Raiders win against the Saints last Monday night was that they had the ball for over 36 minutes, as opposed to the Saints 23 minutes.
When you’re able as a team to hold the ball for that long, you’re able to help your defense by not allowing the opposing offense to have time to get into a rhythm.
Going up against another offense that likes to run the ball as well, it’ll be important for the Raiders to sustain long scoring drives and keep the ball out of Cam Newton’s hands.
Key #2: Keep the Darren Waller Train Rolling
Darren Waller was able to show his impressive skills in primetime against the Saints, hauling in 12 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick himself has praised Waller as being “more than a receiver playing tight end,” and that “it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a guy like this.”
With Henry Ruggs III out for the game and the Raiders depth at the receiver being tested, it’ll be important for coach Jon Gruden to keep Waller as the focus of the passing game.
Key #3: Keep Derek Carr Upright
We previously mentioned how the Patriots defense has been up and down in their first two games.
That includes a pass rush that has only recorded three sacks.
With the Raiders down two starters on their offensive line heading into the game, they can’t afford to give the Patriots pass rush new life.
It’ll be up to backups Denzel Good, John Simpson, and the remaining starters to keep Derek Carr off the ground and keep his hot start to the season going.
Final Predictions
The Raiders proved me wrong last week when they capably beat the Saints.
They have another strong opponent again this week and they’ll be out several starters again.
However, those factors didn’t stop them last week, and I don’t think it’ll stop them this week.
Expect a close one, but with the Raiders coming out on top 28-24.
How to watch or listen to the Las Vegas Raiders versus the New England Patriots Sunday?
TV: CBS 1 PM ET/10 AM PT
Radio: Raider Nation Radio
Odds: New England -5.5
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