Raiders vs Patriots 2022 Week 15: Patriots to Worry About
Raiders vs Patriots 2022 Week 15: Patriots to Worry About
Defense: Matt Judon & Josh Uche
The tandem of Matt Judon and Josh Uche has been pretty dominant all season. Both players are already in the double digits this year for sacks, with Judon at an impressive 14.5 and Uche behind him at 10. They have also combined for 74 total tackles and only 1 missed tackle between the two of them.
Last week’s matchup against the Cardinals was the perfect example of how dominant these two can be. Judon had 2 QB pressures and 1.5 sacks while Uche had 3 sacks on 4 QB pressures. The Patriots team as a whole had 6 sacks total and the tandem accounted for 4.5 of them. After Kyler Murray went out early with a knee injury that was later determined to be an ACL tear, Colt McCoy came in and it seemed like he was fighting for his life on every play.
What doesn’t show up on the stat sheet also is the fact the offensive line had to give so much attention to the two on the outside, it freed up the interior line to have themselves a day also.
It’s no secret that the Raiders’ offensive line has been a soft spot at times, and a strength at others. Recent injuries to an already thin guard position make it even more critical that they work cohesively this week. Alex Bars, who was hurt in last week’s game against the Rams, is trending as if he is going to miss this game as well.
The team also released John Simpson and Lester Cotton Jr, while bringing in C Hroniss Grasu and G Netane Muti to the active roster.
If the Raiders are going to protect Derek Carr and be able to keep this defensive line from disrupting the backfield all game, it’s going to start from the outside in. Expect to see a lot of help from tight ends chipping and running backs stepping up to give support, or the Raiders offense is in for a long day against one of the better DE tandems in the NFL.