New England Patriots: 1 compelling bold prediction vs Raiders
The New England Patriots beat the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football 27-13 and will seek to make it two in a row also away Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Patriots were aided in their game against the Cardinals by the injury to their dynamic, dual-threat quarterback, Kyler Murray. It had a huge impact on the game since the Cardinals aren’t a very good football team even with Murray at the helm.
This week, they play the Raiders who sit at 5-8, third in the AFC West with what little hope they have for a playoff berth resting on beating New England. The Raiders are eighth in points scored with 308 and 25th in defense with 313 points allowed.
These statistics indicate the Patriots should be able to score against Las Vegas while having a tougher time in stopping them from scoring. But the Patriots offense is suspect.
The New England Patriots defense must cover again for the offense
The strength of the Patriots is their defense and the Raiders are better on offense. So it’s strength against strength in this one. The Pats sack duo of Matt Judon and the emerging Josh Uche have to corral Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
In 13 games, Carr has thrown for 20 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He’s amassed 3117 yards through the air with a 62 percent completion percentage and has been sacked 21 times.
So it will be on the defense to slow Carr and his top two outstanding compatriots. They would be running back Josh Jacobs, who has gashed opposing defenses for 1402 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. And yes, he leads the NFL in rushing by more than 200 yards.
Through the air, the Raiders have one of the very best NFL receivers in Davante Adams who boasts 82 catches for 1247 yards and 12 TDs. He’s fifth in the NFL in receptions and third in yards.
Stopping these two will be a daunting challenge even for the Patriots solid defense. It will likely determine the outcome of the game.
New England Patriots’ offense has to keep up
Putting 27 points up on the Arizona Cardinals isn’t anything to write home about and the Patriots’ offense will have to keep pace with the Raiders’ high-flying offense if they are to outlast them.
Quarterback Mac Jones threw for a 68.6 percent completion percentage on Monday night against Arizona but with only 235 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. For the season Jones sits at a paltry seven TDs and 8 interceptions.
Those are awful stats even for a second-year quarterback. While the offensive playcalling under Matt Patricia has been dreadful, Jones’ averaging less than a touchdown pass per game (7 in 10 games) isn’t going to get the job done.
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That leads to the prediction for the Raiders games. Predicting a win would be nice and getting one even nicer.
Yet, the lackluster Patriots offense, especially one perhaps still missing their best player, dual-threat running back, Rhamondre Stevenson who missed practice Wednesday, doesn’t bode well for New England. Wide Receiver DeVante Parker also missed that practice and Jakobi Meyers, the Pats’ best receiver is recovering from a concussion.
In addition, as well as they have played, the defense has not been successful stopping the NFL’s top receivers and Adams sits squarely in that grouping. Compounding the challenge is facing Jacobs, the NFL’s best running back.
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This all leads to a disappointing conclusion and a prediction of a loss for the New England Patriots in Las Vegas. Being wrong predicting a loss for the Pats is a good thing, but football is what it is, a game where the team with the best talent usually wins.
In this case, it’s due to the Raiders decidedly better offensive weapons. Despite their poor record, the Raiders’ offense is terrific and it should be enough to beat New England Sunday by a score of about 31-16. Who do you feel will win this game? We’d like to hear.