Rested and recovered, the Oakland Raiders come off the bye to take on the New England Patriots. With how poor the Raiders’ defense has played, the offense is the determining factor to winning this game.
After a week away from football, the Oakland Raiders return to action this Sunday in Mexico City to take on the New England Patriots. This matchup was one that many of us looked forward to the moment the schedule was released.
Now it’s an untimely match up for the Raiders, who are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive. A loss to the Patriots would essentially seal away any chance of the Raiders making it.
The Patriots are clicking on all cylinders. They’re riding a five-game winning streak and are showing no signs of slowing down. The same goes for Tom Brady, who is so far besting Father Time. He still looks great even at age 40.
The Raiders’ defense is going to make Brady look like the 2007 version of himself on Sunday. With a terrible secondary and an incompetent defensive coordinator, does Brady even have to watch film for this game? He could carve up this Oakland defense in his sleep.
The defense will easily give up 30+ points to the Patriots, so it is on the Oakland offense to win this game. Derek Carr and company have to turn back the clock to last year when they were the ones carrying the team to victory. It is entirely doable because the Patriots’ defense isn’t top-tier like their offense is. They have a solid secondary, but their front-seven is missing some pieces.
Patriots allow league-worst 7.2 yards per play on 1st down
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) November 15, 2017
The best option to win this game is to rely on the running game. Running the ball and being successful at it is crucial. It will sustain drives and keep Brady on the New England sideline. He can’t do too much damage if he is limited in possessions. That is typically the best and only strategy to stop great quarterbacks. It is likely they will be able to run on the Patriots considering their the worst defense on first down.
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That is where the offensive line and Todd Downing come into play. Calling the right run play and being able to execute the blocks. Against the Miami Dolphins, the offensive line had one of if not their best run blocking game of the season.
This needs to continue when they play the Patriots. A heavy dosage of Marshawn Lynch with a side of Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington could do the trick.
Of course you can’t leave out Carr. The offense needs him to be the savior like he was last season for this game. The Patriots’ defense may not have the talent like their offense does, but they do have the coaching.
They will scheme up and disguise coverages to bait Carr into a bad throw, which makes protecting the ball another crucial aspect. A turnover in a game of this magnitude will drain the team, especially if it leads to a New England touchdown.
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The Raiders already have an immense uphill battle to try to reach the AFC playoffs. Everyone on the offense is going to have to bring their A game on Sunday. Anything less will result in a loss. This game is going to be high scoring. It is on Carr and the offense to match Brady point for point.