The New England Patriots take on the Las Vegas Raiders in an important AFC matchup with playoff implications. Old friend Josh McDaniels will need to win out to even have a chance at cracking the NFL Playoffs in Year 1.
Buy Patriots TicketsMeanwhile, the Patriots could stay in the mix by picking up their second straight win.
They’ll have their hands full with the Raiders offense, but on the other side of the ball, quarterback Mac Jones and company should have an easier matchup against a banged up and bottom-of-the-league dwelling secondary in Las Vegas.
If the Patriots wish to defeat the Raiders, these key positional matchups could determine the outcome.
Patriots tackles vs Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones
Crosby and Jones offer a tough matchup for the Patriots’ offensive tackles, and now that Isaiah Wynn has been placed on IR, the Patriots are down to just Yodny Cajuste, Conor McDermott and Trent Brown for tackle depth.
The Patriots tackles will need to give Mac Jones as much time to work so that his decision-making and accuracy can pick apart an already terrible secondary this season.
If the tackles can handle the stud pass rushers from the Raiders, they should find no issues moving the ball down the field.
Patriots run defense vs Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs has been elite all season and has seemingly returned to form in a contract year. The Patriots’ run defense has been towards the bottom of the league for quite some time but is manageable.
Their primary run defenders, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Davon Godchaux and Kyle Dugger/Adrian Phillips will need to be most effective this week against an elite running back.
Jacobs is the key to the Raiders offense and unlocking their game plan with Darren Waller and Davante Adams, who would both benefit from the Patriots defense being honest.
Kendrick Bourne/Tyquan Thornton vs Raiders secondary
The Patriots face a tough matchup against the raiders offense, but the defense has blown multiple leads all season for Josh McDaniels. If the Patriots wish to win this game, they will need to exploit the Raiders’ secondary with big plays.
Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton represent big-play ability for the Patriots offense, and with DeVante Parker officially out, there should be more opportunities for the two most explosive Patriots weapons.
If the Patriots can get them going and involved early, they should have no issues testing a secondary that is bound for a redesign in the offseason.
