The Las Vegas Raiders have won their first two games through Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season. After finishing their latest bout against the New Orleans Saints, the Raiders may be gaining momentum into being a forced to be reckoned with going forward. That momentum may be short-lived however, as the New England Patriots are next on their schedule in Week 3.
To be honest, this game could truly be the Raiders' for the taking. Patriots quarterback Cam Newton has shown the doubters of the offseason that he's meant to be held to the manner in which he is. Head coach Bill Belichick is back to his maestro-like play-calling in the post-Brady era. But still, the Patriots are coming off a disappointing loss to the Seattle Seahawks that hung in the balance until the final moments of play.
Here's our four predictions of what the Raiders could have (or not have) in store for the Patriots ahead of Sunday.
1. Carr wins battles of the QBs
Both Carr and Newton have much to prove. Carr's determined to see the Raiders rise the rankings, while Newton is set out on proving he can seamlessly slip into Belichick's system and dominate the beginning of a new era in New England. Both quarterbacks are coming into this matchup with close to similar completion rates (Carr at 73.5 and Newton at 71.4).
Where Carr may have the uphill advantage is with chemistry already developed. Newton is still taking his time to figure out his new system along with his teammates. While he's done particularly well thus far, it may be a while before we see a fully loaded Newton at the helms of the offense.
The 29-year-old Carr has possibly his best supporting cast of his career if the first two games forecast the future. A win against the Patriots (and silently against Newton) will keep the league glued to what's transpiring in Las Vegas.
2. Wideouts go all out
This task won't be easy for the Raiders, going up against a Belichick-infused defense. However, rookie wide receivers Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards may be up for the task. Though only targeted three times, Edwards has completed all of his catches for a total of 51 yards. Ruggs went on to lead the team in receiving yards in Week 2 against a lackluster Carolina Panthers team.
A perfect catching game against the Patriots is highly unlikely, but an almost-perfect, monstrous game for the wideouts is another topic that can be achieved. Both Ruggs and Edwards will finish the game with 250 receiving yards and five touchdowns combined, pushing the Patriots' defense to attempting to pull out all the stops. This will be complemented by Carr's dominant performance as well.
3. Defense creates an issue for Newton
With or without a bold take, the Raiders need to step up their defense to continue their winning record further into the season. They rank 20th in points given by a team and 25th in forcing turnovers. In order to stand a chance against the juggernaut that is the Patriots' offense, those stats must change.
With that, we're predicting that the defensive line combine for a total of four sacks on Newton. At some point the Raiders' offensive success must trickle down to the defense. There would be no better way to start that train of momentum than against the Patriots.
4. Raiders win in a blowout
Winning this matchup in general will make more of the league believers in what the Raiders are set out to achieve this season. But winning against the Patriots in a landslide will send a massive message. In a normal world, this game could honestly go down to the wire, possibly even overtime.
What we're predicting though, is that with a massive step up in from the defense along with Carr's massive performance, the game won't even be close. Add in even decent games from the wideouts, and this game may be over far before it's even started. We're predicting a final score of 35-14 in favor of the Raiders.
Follow Us
Subscribe