The Arizona Cardinals take on the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday afternoon on the road. Both teams hope to avoid an 0-2 start after suffering season-opening losses in Week 1.
The Cardinals last faced the Raiders in 2018 but that was before Kliff Kingsbury was head coach and before they drafted quarterback Kyler Murray.
To help us know a little more about the Raiders and their matchup, Raiders Wire managing editor Marcus Mosher gives us some insight about the team he covers and the matchups from the Las Vegas perspective.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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Injuries
How will the Raiders’ injuries affect them in this week’s matchup?
The Raiders do have a lot of injuries heading into Week 2, especially on defense. They will be without one of their starting cornerbacks in Anthony Averrett and their top safety Trevon Moehrig. That’s not great when the Raiders are facing an offense that can be as explosive as Arizona. Look for the Raiders to play more Cover-2 coverage this week to avoid giving up big plays in the passing game.
Chandler Jones
Even going back to the offseason, how has Chandler Jones looked so far?
Jones hasn’t been available a ton due to some small injuries. He was able to play in Week 1, but did not perform well against Rashawn Slater and the Chargers. The Raiders are still very optimistic that he can play well this season, but it’s been a slow start for the All-Pro EDGE rusher.
Lesser-known Raiders to know
Who are some lesser-known contributors who could impact Sunday’s game?
Keep an eye on CB Nate Hobbs. He usually plays in the slot, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they moved him around some on Sunday. He is easily the best defensive back on the roster and might just be their third-best defender after Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones. If the Raiders want to have any shot at slowing down the Cardinals on Sunday, Hobbs will need to have a big game.
Matchups
What matchups are you most excited to see? Which ones are you most worried about?
I am really excited to watch J.J. Watt against the interior offensive line of the Raiders. Rookie Dylan Parham played well in Week 1, but the Chargers didn’t have anyone to really test him. Parham is expected to start again this week and if he can hold his own against Watt, that will be a sign of good things to come. With how poor the offensive line is for the Raiders, they are really counting on Parham to develop into a quality starter.
