4 reasons the Las Vegas Raiders will beat the New Orleans Saints in Week 2

4 reasons the Las Vegas Raiders will beat the New Orleans Saints in Week 2

Raiders linebackers vs Jared Cook

Without Michael Thomas on the field, who will Drew Brees be throwing the ball to? On Sunday, when Thomas was basically non-existent on the field, Brees found comfort in throwing the ball to former Raiders tight end Jared Cook, who recorded five receptions for 80 yards.

Although covering tight ends has been an issue for the Raiders in previous years, this year appears to be different. The Raiders shut down the Panthers tight ends in Week 1, as the they have a new group of solid linebackers that can play coverage. Of course, Nick Kwiatkoski injured his pec, so we have to get a status on him, but even without him, the group is upgraded.

If Drew Brees makes Jared Cook his main target, he may be surprised to see that Cook is not open often, and that will force him to turn to Emmanuel Sanders on the outside. It was a rough go for rookie Damon Arnette in Week 1, but Sanders is really the only proven wideout the Saints have going into this matchup, and that should be Trayvon Mullen‘s task Monday night.