Oakland Raiders: 5 matchups to watch vs. New York Giants
By John Buhler
Bruce Irvin vs. Ereck Flowers
Raiders outside linebacker Bruce Irvin is coming off his best game of the season last week. He garnered two quarterback sacks of Paxton Lynch, as Irvin was able to manhandle Broncos rookie left tackle Garett Bolles. Irvin had three sacks on the year versus the Broncos alone. He faces a favorable matchup this week in the inept left tackle the Giants call Ereck Flowers.
Flowers has been a huge problem for the Giants’ failing offensive line. He just has not lived up to the hype of being a first-round pick out of Miami since landing in New York in 2015. Flowers is a player that opposing pass rushes often try to exploit to generate pressure on the quarterback.
Not to say that Irvin will have multiple sacks in this game versus the Giants, but his pass rushing situation is eerily similar to what he experienced last week. Irvin will be going up against a vastly inferior left tackle and a backup quarterback making his first start of the season. Maybe Irvin does bring down Geno Smith a few times? Who knows?
Oakland should have a field day in the pass rush, as the Giants have one of the worst offensive lines in football. It won’t be just Irvin who can take advantage. Look for defensive ends Denico Autry and Khalil Mack to build on their solid Week 12 games versus Denver. New York could be in for a long day with an Oakland front-seven that specializes in getting after the quarterback.