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Oakland Raiders: 5 matchups to watch vs. New England Patriots

By John Buhler

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 19: NaVorro Bowman No. 53 of the Oakland Raiders warms up prior to their game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 19, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 19: NaVorro Bowman No. 53 of the Oakland Raiders warms up prior to their game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 19, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 26: Jared Cook No. 87 of the Oakland Raiders carries the ball against Byron Jones No. 31 of the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter of a preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 26, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 26: Jared Cook No. 87 of the Oakland Raiders carries the ball against Byron Jones No. 31 of the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter of a preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 26, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Jared Cook vs. Kyle Van Noy

Oakland has been better offensively thanks to the inclusion of tight end Jared Cook in the passing game. He has put together his two best games in the Raiders’ last two victories over the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins.

While the Patriots have many excellent defensive backs in Matt Patricia’s defense, they are vulnerable in the front-seven, especially at linebacker. Though he is a solid playmaker in the pass rush and in run defense, Cook has the edge in the receiving game when matched up with outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy.

Van Noy is a high-end super-sub for this Patriots defense. However, his role has expanded with Dont’a Hightower being out for the year, David Harris being a shell of himself and Chris Long now playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. In essence, he’s biting off more than he can chew in this part of the season for New England.

Now that Cook has great continuity in this Raiders offense, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him have over 100 yards receiving. While the Patriots try to make the opposing offense play left-handed, taking away Amari Cooper isn’t going to slow this Raiders offense down as much as it would be to take Cook out of the game. Look for Carr to target Cook early and often in this one.

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