Do the Patriots and Raiders both walk out of Gillette with matching 2-1 records today? I think so. Here are some things to consider when watching today's game.
VERY FEW FLAGS- There hasn't been a lot of flags in NFL games this year. Today's contest is being played by the two teams with the least amount of penalties. Expect that to continue.
INJURIES AND OTHER- The Patriots will not have center David Andrews or running back James White available today. Despite this the Patriots' offense will still be able to thrive. Cam Newton is loving being able to play behind a dominating offensive line. While David Andrews is a big part of that dominant line, the drop off is still much better than the lines Newton has had protecting him in the past. Since the Patriots were able to plan for White's absence this week, their offensive play calling will not take a hit.
The Raiders are in a bit of a predicament with their injuries. While they are both potentially playing at this time, injuries to tight end Darren Waller and running back Josh Jacobs will be hard to overcome. Waller is currently nursing a knee injury which isn't really ideal for a tight end who has been on the field for 90% of the teams snaps this season. The fact that he's had 24 targets in those 2 weeks shows how important he's been to the play calling. Jacobs is also a huge part of the Raiders' offense as he's been out there for 102 snaps. Last week he had three touchdowns against the Panthers. For the season he's had 52 carries and 9 targets. Jacobs has been out most of the week with a hip injury.
The Raiders are in a bit of a predicament with their injuries. While they are both potentially playing at this time, injuries to tight end Darren Waller and running back Josh Jacobs will be hard to overcome. Waller is currently nursing a knee injury which isn't really ideal for a tight end who has been on the field for 90% of the teams snaps this season. The fact that he's had 24 targets in those 2 weeks shows how important he's been to the play calling. Jacobs is also a huge part of the Raiders' offense as he's been out there for 102 snaps. Last week he had three touchdowns against the Panthers. For the season he's had 52 carries and 9 targets. Jacobs has been out most of the week with a hip injury.
3RD DOWN- Both teams are moving the chains over 50% of the time on 3rd downs. When it comes to defensive stops, the Patriots are doing a much better job. As a matter of fact, in this young season the Raiders defense is the worst when it comes to stopping their opponents. With them being that bad on third down, it could open up the door for the Patriots to go for it on 4th down when needed.
SPECIAL TEAMS- This week the Patriots are back to having their typical advantage when it comes to punting. Hopefully, we don't get to see a lot of punts from Jake Bailey, but if we do he'll likely be pinning Derek Carr back deep. Shocker that the Raiders have an overwhelming advantage when it comes to the kicking game. The Patriots are still letting Nick Folk handle the kicking duties, while the Raiders actually have a pretty solid kicker. Folk is 1 for 3 this season with misses in both games. Daniel Carlson has been perfect for the Raiders and has made 54 yard field goals in back to back games. Fun Fact- There hasn't been a special teams score in the NFL yet this year.
SPECIAL TEAMS- This week the Patriots are back to having their typical advantage when it comes to punting. Hopefully, we don't get to see a lot of punts from Jake Bailey, but if we do he'll likely be pinning Derek Carr back deep. Shocker that the Raiders have an overwhelming advantage when it comes to the kicking game. The Patriots are still letting Nick Folk handle the kicking duties, while the Raiders actually have a pretty solid kicker. Folk is 1 for 3 this season with misses in both games. Daniel Carlson has been perfect for the Raiders and has made 54 yard field goals in back to back games. Fun Fact- There hasn't been a special teams score in the NFL yet this year.
QUARTERBACKS- For the season their passing statistics are pretty similar as seen below. The fact that Newton is such a stud when he takes off running gives the Patriots a major advantage.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR- Last week the Patriots defense looked pretty slow. Personally, I think it had a lot to do with the travel and time of the game. I'm hoping we look a bit faster this week and don't get burnt on all of those long passes. The Patriots gave up 3 long touchdown receptions last week (21, 38, 54). In 2019 they only gave up 5 for the season.
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