The Las Vegas Raiders are about to debut their franchise quarterback on Sunday, as Fernando Mendoza will officially be coming out of the wrapper. It will be a tough matchup for the rookie, who will make his first start for the Silver and Black in front of a home crowd at Allegiant Stadium.
The team coming into town is the 5-4 Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks have what many consider the league's best defense. They give up only 155 passing yards per game and rank 1st in total defense. It will be a baptism by fire for the young signal-caller.
With the Raiders struggling to run the ball, they'll need to manufacture offense. The play-action game will help Mendoza perform well, but it could get ugly if they can’t run the ball. With that said, let's deep dive into the keys to victory for Week 10.
Keys to Las Vegas Raiders victory vs. Seahawks begin with stopping JSN
Slowing down Jaxon Smith-Njigba
One key to victory is slowing down the Seahawks' superstar receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He leads the league in receiving yards and is on pace for 2000 yards this year. If the Raiders can’t slow him down, it will be a long day.
Rob Leonard will have to focus on bracketing Smith-Njigba with different coverages. Last week's film against the Arizona Cardinals could give them a blueprint for what to do. The Cardinals held him to his lowest output of the season: seven receptions for 51 yards.
The hardest part of bracketing Smith-Nijba is that he lines up all over the field. It will be hard to slow him down, but the Raiders have to focus on him.
Play-action passing game
With the Raiders starting their rookie quarterback, the play-action passing game is vital. Even if the Raiders struggle to run the ball, they cannot abandon the play-action fakes to keep the Seahawks' defense on their toes.
Fans expect teams not to load the box after trading for Cousins. Historically, it is usually the opposite with a rookie signal caller. The Seahawks want the Raiders to be in passing mode so they can overload the quarterback with blitzes.
Klint Kubiak may have to call play-action passes early. With Mike McDonald’s defense likely crashing on first down, the play-action fake can help make it easier for Mendoza to make plays.
Forcing Drew Lock to beat them
The Raiders are struggling to stop the run. Rob Leonard blamed it on fatigue, but with a rookie quarterback, the defense has to get off the field. Facing one of the worst running games in the league, they must stop the run and force Drew Lock to beat them.
Lock played well in his first two games but struggled against the Cardinals. With his offensive line beat up, the Raiders must get pressure on the quarterback. If they can, he will make mistakes and look like the backup he is.
A rookie QB needs his defense to show up so he can have a ton of possessions. The defense has to show up and make it happen.
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