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Oakland Raiders Week 3 X-Factors against the Minnesota Vikings

By Matt Holder

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 09: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Oakland Raiders runs the ball for a first down in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at RingCentral Coliseum on September 09, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 09: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Oakland Raiders runs the ball for a first down in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at RingCentral Coliseum on September 09, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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ORCHARD PARK, NY – SEPTEMBER 13: Richie Incognito #64 of the Buffalo Bills warms up before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Ralph Wilson Stadium on September 13, 2015 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY – SEPTEMBER 13: Richie Incognito #64 of the Buffalo Bills warms up before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Ralph Wilson Stadium on September 13, 2015 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

Richie Incognito

After serving a two-game suspension, the Raiders get their starting left guard back on Sunday against the Vikings. While Jordan Devey was a serviceable replacement, the team will benefit from Incognito’s presence in the trenches.

As exemplified by the chart below (provided by NFL Next Gen Stats), last week running back Josh Jacobs had much more success running to the right side of the line than the left. Having a balanced rushing attack will help open the offense up and give Oakland more opportunities to attack Minnesota’s defense.

The veteran lineman is known to be a mauler in the run game, so he will be a welcomed presence.

The Vikings also have an extremely stout run defender in Linval Joseph, who has already racked up four tackles for loss and leads all defensive tackles in that category. If the Silver and Black are going to have success running the ball on Sunday, Incognito needs to win this matchup.

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