Raiders at New Orleans 2022 Week 8: Saints to Worry About
The Las Vegas Raiders are hitting the road again as they’re set to pay an old friend a visit this weekend, taking on Dennis Allen and the New Orleans Saints.
Current New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen was once the head coach of the Raiders. It seems like a lifetime ago, but he was the first coach hired during Reggie McKenzie’s run as the Raiders’ shot-caller. Unfortunately for Allen, it was a rather forgettable run with the Silver and Black, and an 8-26 record cemented that truth.
Fast forward a few years, and Allen’s current team, the Saints, finds itself with a 2-5 record. Both teams are fighting for their respective playoff lives at the moment, so what can we expect? More importantly, which players should the Raiders be worrying about?
Raiders at New Orleans 2022 Week 8: Saints to Worry About
Josh McDaniels cites two Saints defenders: Cam Jordan and Marcus Davenport
Josh McDaniels initial evaluation of the New Orleans Saints:
— Levi Edwards (@theleviedwards) October 26, 2022
- “Very physical team”
- Cam Jordan and Marcus Davenport “can get to the quarterback fast”
- A team that “knows their identity and plays to it”
- A banged up team with injuries, but preparing as if everyone returns
Before talking about Allen’s offense, let’s focus on the defense. In his initial assessment of the Saints, Josh McDaniels noted two players in particular that his offense would need to gameplan for Cam Jordan and Marcus Davenport:
Needless to say, when you look at what this duo is capable of, it’s obvious that Kolton Miller and Thayer Munford are in for a tough assignment. Between both Jordan and Davenport, there are 19 pressures and five sacks to be accounted for.
At first glance, the numbers don’t exactly stand out. However, these two have proven capable of breaking out at any given point, especially Jordan. He’s accumulated 65 sacks since 2017, and as McDaniels knows, this is nothing to scoff at.
Meanwhile, as far as Davenport goes, his half-sack stat is misleading. Sure, he hasn’t landed the final blow on opposing quarterbacks, but that doesn’t mean he’s not getting close. A 2018 NFL All-Rookie Team member, Davenport has gotten off to a slow start this season. On the other hand, he’s recovering from shoulder surgery and also had one of his fingers (pinky) amputated.
Surely this has played a role in his earlier struggles. And yet, he’s picking it up in the last couple of games with four total tackles and a QB hit. He’s also maintaining a 75.5 pass-rush grade, per Pro Football Focus.
Raiders at New Orleans 2022 Week 8: Saints to Worry About
The Raiders are preparing for the Saints’ elusive weapon in Taysom Hill
The Raiders’ defense has faced some tough matchups so far in 2022, but none that present a challenge the way Taysom Hill does. At one point, the Saints’ starting quarterback (2019–21), Hill is currently listed as a tight end despite the fact he lines up all over the field.
To say that he needs to be accounted for on every play is putting it lightly. Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham spoke on that matter this week.
"“That adds a level of difficulty, absolutely. He’s one of those, like, ‘Where’s Waldo?’ guys. Every week, there is someone like that, usually on each team, so you need to understand, ‘okay, there he is.’ He’s on the field. And then you’ve got to be able to execute from there. We’ve got the idea; he’s on the field, we know where he’s at, and then from there, can we execute the plan? So, there is usually somebody like that on the field for each team, and he’s definitely one of the guys on this team along with a few other guys. You need to know where [Alvin] Kamara is, as well as where a lot of these guys are.”"
Through Week 7, Hill was one of the league’s leaders in rushing touchdowns with five. At the same time, he’s averaging nearly ten yards per rushing attempt (9.5), this is going to be a tough matchup for the Raiders’ linebackers. Simply put, when Hill is on the field, the Saints score and they score tons.
This season, New Orleans has accumulated 100 points by way of 11 touchdowns and three field goals when Hill has a pass, a tach, or a rushing attempt.
If the Raiders can keep Hill from scoring in any way, they should be in good shape. However, there’s another player that needs to be accounted for by Graham’s defense.
Raiders at New Orleans 2022 Week 8: Saints to Worry About
Patrick Graham’s run defense is going to tested against Alvin Kamara
While Hill is the true Swiss Army Knife for the Saints, Kamara merits focus from the Raiders as well. The five-time Pro Bowl running back can also make you pay on the ground or through the Saints’ intricate passing offense. Kamara’s dangerous versatility was fully recognized by Graham this week during his press conference.
"“The fact that his balance on contact, this guy breaks a lot of tackles and doesn’t go down easily, that’s a big part of his game in my opinion and has been since I’ve been watching him at Tennessee and then when he got into the league. So, you try to tackle him; he has pretty good balance and he can bounce off tackles. Obviously, the speed jumps off the tape and then the fact that they are able to use him in both the run and pass game. He could be in the backfield, he could be out wide, they could put him anywhere. They can put him at wildcat quarterback, they can do anything.”"
Off the bat, Kamara is averaging nearly five yards per rushing attempt (4.6) while also catching 24 passes this season. His scoring is down with zero touchdowns, but he’s seeing an increasing workload in the last couple of games with 54 touches. Clearly, Kamara is due for a breakout scoring performance. Can an overwhelmed Raiders secondary stop him if he gets past the front seven?
A recurring theme with the Saints this season has been the improper usage of Kamara in the red zone. At the same time, with 16 touchdowns in the red zone, it’s interesting that they have the second-best scoring offense in that area.
As for the Raiders, they’ve surrendered 15 touchdowns of their own in the red zone. While they’re giving up just over four yards per carry on the ground (4.1) and have the third-ranked rushing defense (624 yards this season), a couple of red zone miscues and Kamara could easily find himself in the end zone on Sunday.