How has Marquise Brown looked in the offense so far?
JR: The only game action we’ve seen so far is Week 1 and he could have been used more. But there was a downfield shot, a touchdown and he lined up a lot as the Cardinals’ ‘X’ receiver. In practices in training camp, he looked great. We can expect a few deep shots to him.
Who is one under-the-radar player we should keep an eye on in this game?
JR: On offense, RB Eno Benjamin has made great strides and is used in the role Chase Edmonds had previously. He is explosive enough to bust open a play or two as the changeup back to James Conner.
On defense, DL Zach Allen is a guy to watch. He doesn’t get the attention that J.J. Watt does, but he is extremely disruptive and you see him around the ball and around the quarterback a lot. If he and Watt are both in the lineup, things could get tough from the interior for the Raiders.
Do you anticipate former Raiders CB Trayvon Millen playing on Sunday?
JR: I am hopeful. He still is learning the defense but appears on track to possibly at least have a role on defense. He will come in on nickel downs but will play outside with Byron Murphy sliding into the slot. The team is very hopeful of the impact Mullen can have with his size.
How did former first-round picks Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons perform in Week 1?
JR: It was very much a mixed bag. Collins logged 7 tackles and 2 TFLs. It was a career-high in snaps, tackles, and tackles for loss. He did take some bad angles. Simmons was the defensive play caller and struggled a bit. He had a tall task in guarding Travis Kelce but he mostly looked unimpressive last week. It doesn’t get much easier this week with Waller.
Who wins this game and why?