Oakland Raiders: 5 matchups to watch vs. Miami Dolphins
By John Buhler
T.J. Carrie vs. Jarvis Landry
This has not been a good season for the Raiders’ defense. However, three players have put together mostly good tape in the first half. One of those players has been slot cornerback T.J. Carrie. While the Raiders have stumbled on the outside, Carrie is playing with great confidence in covering the slot.
He will have potentially one of his toughest matchups on the season in Week 9. Carrie will have to contain the best offensive playmaker on the Dolphins in a frustrated Jarvis Landry. Some might have thought that the Dolphins were going to trade Landry before the deadline, but that proved to not be the case.
What makes Landry such a good possession receiver is that he is never afraid to go up and get the ball. He likes to use his physical nature as a pass-catcher to his advantage. Landry is a bit shiftier than you’d expect out of a slot, possession receiver.
Carrie had his issue with Cooper Kupp in the preseason versus the Los Angeles Rams. Landry was to some degree the NFL prototype for the high-end of what Kupp could be coming out of Eastern Washington. Depending on where Landry’s head is at, he could torch Carrie or be smothered by Carrie. It could go either way really.