Raiders face tough task even without Michael Thomas playing Monday
Raiders face tough task even without Michael Thomas playing Monday
Who is behind Sanders?
Behind Sanders however, the depth of the Saints receivers has some question marks with a mostly inexperienced group. Tre’Quan Smith has not had a ton of impact in the Saints passing game since entering the league in 2018. Last year, he missed a total of five games due to an ankle injury, but has shown flashes that he can be a more dominant player when healthy.
Two undrafted talents among the group looking to make a name for themselves are Deonte Harris and Marquez Callaway. Harris is a much smaller possession receiver who made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season last year as a kick/punt returner, and was also given All-Pro nods. Harris is explosive and very shifty when in space. He is a player the Raiders secondary will have to account for on every play in order to avoid giving up a momentum changing play.
Callaway on the other hand is the opposite build comparatively too Harris. At 6’2”/205lbs, Callaway is a big target with athleticism. The rookie out of Tennessee thrives when it comes to a jump ball and has the knack to make plays with the ball in his hands.
He may be unpolished when it comes to route running, but he can make you pay going vertical as he averaged 21.2 yards per reception his senior year. In an article written by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, Damon Arnette just granted a perfect passer rating to Teddy Bridgewater on Sunday, and gave up the biggest play of the game to Robby Anderson on a 75-yard bomb.
Arnette and the rest of the Raider defensive backs will have to make sure they don’t suffer any more blown coverages if they want to keep the score close.
Next. New Orleans Saints at Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Things to watch in Week 2. dark
Monday night should be quite the show down with a lot of youth stepping onto the grass. The Raiders have one of the youngest secondaries in the NFL with an average age of 26 among the starters. Lining up opposite of them will be a Saints team without its number one receiver and an average age of 25 in the receiver ranks. Expect some rookie mistakes from both teams in what should be a high scoring affair.