Preview and Prediction: Oakland Raiders at Baltimore Ravens
By Austin Gayle
Coming off a 17-10 win over the Tennessee Titans, the Oakland Raiders are back on the road to take on the undefeated Baltimore Ravens.
After earning a much-needed win in Nashville over the Tennessee Titans, the Oakland Raiders (2-1) will hit the road again to take on an undefeated Baltimore Ravens team (3-0) that will be looking for revenge after dropping their game against the Raiders in Oakland in 2015, 33-37.
"“Oh yeah. It’s going to be an extreme challenge,” Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said of the Ravens, via Kyle Martin of Raiders.com. “They’re very physical, they’re 3-0. No one’s beat them yet and it’s going to be very tough, especially going into their place. They’re very good and I respect the heck out of them. They’ve got some great pieces, and I’m really looking forward to competing against them.”"
Here we take a look at just how tough this matchup is going to be for Carr and his Raiders’ Week 4 contest against the Ravens.
Cooper and Crabtree to Take Advantage of Shareece Wright
Raiders receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree had their way with Titans cornerback Perrish Cox in Week 3, as offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave had a great deal of success targeting the struggling cornerback early and often.
We could see a similar game plan in Week 4.
Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith has had an up and down career in terms of production, but he has still proven to be the clear No. 1 cornerback in Baltimore, with veteran Lardarius Webb making the move to safety.
In Webb’s absence, former San Diego Charges cornerback Shareece Wright has struggled.
Now in his second year with the Ravens, Wright has earned the nod on the outside opposite of Smith, but through three starts, the nod has appeared undeserving.
According to PFF.com, Wright has earned the 85th overall grade (46.4) among the 102 eligible cornerbacks in the NFL, despite his above average grade against the run (84.3).
Though not always true, an NFL defense can sometimes be only as good as its weakest link, and if Wright is unable to keep Cooper and/or Crabtree from taking over this game, Baltimore’s weakest link could let this game get ugly, early.