Las Vegas Raiders can exercise a lot of demons against Patriots
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders have notoriously struggled against the New England Patriots, but they can exercise a lot of demons in Week 3.
In a game that would be a major statement for the Las Vegas Raiders, the Silver and Black travel East to take on the New England Patriots in Week 3. The Raiders have gotten out to a surprising 2-0 start to the 2020 season, but they face a nemesis in the Patriots, a team that has ruled this rivalry in recent memory.
With a win on Sunday, Las Vegas can exercise a lot of demons, as the Pats have not only beaten them in the regular season, but have also ended their season twice in the playoffs. Of course, everyone remembers the Tuck Rule Game, but the Patriots also beat the Raiders in the Divisional Round in 1985, as the Pats made it to the Super Bowl that season.
Raiders struggle in New England
Anytime a West Coast team has to go East, it is a problem, as they are playing at 10AM local time due to the three-hour difference from coast to coast. For the Raiders, they made a successful East coast trip in Week 1, beating the Carolina Panthers, but they have not been so lucky against the Patriots in recent years.
In fact, the franchise has not beaten the Patriots on the road since 1994, and for those counting at home, that would be 26 years ago. In that game, quarterback Jeff Hostetler led the Raiders to a come from behind victory, erasing a 17-7 deficit by throwing and rushing for a touchdown in the 21-17 victory.
Since then, New England has won three straight at home, including the Tuck Rule Game, though that should have been a win for the Silver and Black. Overall, the Raiders have not beaten the Patriots in any venue since 2002, as they won that game 27-20 ten months after the Tuck Rule debacle.
In their last two matchups, the Raiders have failed to score more than ten points, losing 33-8 in Mexico during the 2017 season, and 16-9 in 2014, which was Derek Carr’s rookie season.
Las Vegas is a heavy underdog in this one, and many believe the Patriots will blow the doors off of the Silver and Black in Week 3. Of course, all experts predicted that the Raiders would get blown out by the New Orleans Saints on Monday night as well, so this is another golden opportunity for Carr and company to let the rest of the NFL landscape know that they are for real.