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.