The Las Vegas Raiders are looking to build off of their momentum from Week 1. In that game, they defeated the Carolina Panthers 34-30. Oddly enough, they have another NFC South opponent in Week 2. This time though, it is a slightly tougher task, with the 1-0 New Orleans Saints coming to town for Monday Night Football.
Obviously, this is a challenge. The Saints finished the 2019 season with a 13-3 record, tied for the best mark in the NFC. However, the Raiders are exciting too. They went 7-9 last year, but have a lot of “improving” pieces. Pieces that could take the next step this season and turn them into a legitimate playoff team.
If they can manage a win in Week 2, Las Vegas will be well on their way to the playoffs. Can they do it though? Here are three bold predictions for the Raiders on Monday Night Football against the Saints.
Josh Jacobs has 100-Yards and Another Touchdown
Second-year Las Vegas running back Josh Jacobs had a massive Week 1. He racked up 93 rushing yards and three touchdowns, as well as four receptions for another 46 yards in the air. He's going to find more success in Week 2.
Simply put, Jacobs is a monster. There really is not much you can do to stop him. With his good reps in the passing game, he's becoming even more well-rounded. That's a serious problem for opposing defenses.
That being said, it's really hard to give him another three touchdowns in Week 2. It just seems like overkill if we're being honest. Jacobs will add nicely to his numbers though. In fact, he's going to rush for even more yards this time around, hitting the 100-yard mark.
He's not stopping there, either. Jacobs will run for over 100-yards and he's going to find the end zone at least once. Meanwhile, expect to see him reel in a few more receptions as the Raiders are clearly trying to get him more involved there as well.
Darren Waller Find his Groove
Darren Waller was one of the breakout stars of 2019. In his first three years in the NFL, Waller ran into multiple issues, leading to him recording just 18 receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
Then came 2019. He reeled in 90 receptions for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns. Quite obviously, those were all career-highs by a pretty large margin.
In his first game of 2020, he was solid. Waller had six receptions for 45 yards. Nothing incredible, but it also showed that he was ready to prove last season was not a fluke and that he can still be productive.
That being said, if Waller wants to really start bringing that home, he'll need a bigger game on Monday. Moreover, quarterback Derek Carr could rely on him pretty heavily, which should do the trick.
This is especially true if rookie Henry Ruggs III (at the time of this writing, questionable for the game) is inactive.
Waller will get a ton of targets. It will see him finish the game with around seven receptions for 100 yards and maybe even a touchdown.
2019 was no fluke, Waller is the real deal. He'll remind everyone of that in Week 2.
Maxx Crosby and Company Get in on the Sack Party
The Raiders don't have the most dangerous pass rush in the NFL. That much was evident by the one sack that they had in Week 1. However, they do have some really exciting players in the pass rush. One of them is Maxx Crosby.
After being selected in the fourth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Crosby went on to be one of the best defensive rookies in all of football. The defensive end racked up an incredible 10 sacks and four forced fumbles. In Week 1, though, he finished the game with just two tackles and did not bring the quarterback down.
That's going to change in Week 2. Not just for Crobsy, but for a few of the Raiders' pass rushing talents.
Crosby will lead the way, and might even find himself recording multiple sacks, but fellow second-year defensive end Clelin Ferrell might make an impact as well.
Las Vegas does not have the most frightening defense in the NFL, but their pass rush is better than it looked in Week 1. Expect them to get to Drew Brees a few times in Week 2.
Is that enough for the Raiders to win on Monday Night Football? If all these predictions come true, it's hard to see them losing. We'll have to wait and see what happens on Monday Night, it should be an entertaining game to say the least.
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