Raiders vs Patriots 2022 Week 15: Key matchups to watch
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders take on New England in Week 15, and here are some key matchups they must win to come away with the victory.
Week 15 brings a rivalry matchup for the Las Vegas Raiders, as they will take on the New England Patriots inside Allegiant Stadium. The Silver and Black suffered a terrible loss their last time out, losing to the hapless Los Angeles Rams on the road, blowing a 16-3 fourth quarter lead.
Now, they look to keep their playoff hopes alive against a New England team coming off a big win against Arizona on Monday night. Both teams are long shots to make the playoffs, and with so many interesting storylines in Week 15, this should be an exciting matchup.
Here, we look at some key matchups that should swing this game either way.
Raiders vs Patriots 2022 Week 15: Key matchups to watch
Maxx Crosby vs Trent Brown
The Raiders will be taking on an old friend on Sunday, as Trent Brown is the starting offensive tackle for the Patriots. His mission will be to keep Maxx Crosby from getting after Mac Jones, a matchup that I believe he has no chance of winning.
Outside of holding him on every play, nobody has been able to stop Madd Maxx all season long, and that trend will continue on Sunday. In the end, I like a multiple-sack game from Crosby against his former teammate.
Raiders OL vs Matthew Judon
If there is one player the Raiders’ offensive line needs to key on in this matchup it is linebacker Matthew Judon. Judon is fresh off a tremendous game against Arizona on Monday night, and if he has the same kind of impact on Sunday, Derek Carr could be in for a long day of running for his life.
Bill Belichick is a defensive genius, so he is going to find a way to get Judon involved in the pass rush in Week 15. If he can beat a depleted offensive line for Las Vegas, it could swing this game in the Pats’ favor.
Derek Carr vs the Patriots Secondary
Derek Carr had the worst game of his 2022 season on Thursday night, making terrible decisions en route to a two-interception game against a bad Rams defense. On Sunday, he will be trying to navigate a Patriots defense that should present way more problems than the Rams did in Week 14.
If the Raiders are to win this game, Carr has to be a lot better, and really, this four-game stretch to close the season could make or break his future in Las Vegas. If the Raiders stumble down the stretch, we could be seeing the final chapter of the Derek Carr era with the franchise.