Patriots - Raiders, Who Has the Razor's Edge?
 Julian Edelman will look to continue a strong start to in 2014. (USA TODAY Images) |
The New England Patriots take on the Oakland Raiders in their 2014 home opener on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on CBS locally with Greg Gumble and Trent Green on the play-by-play.
The Patriots beat the Minnesota Vikings handily 30-7 last week in Minneapolis as Stevan Ridley rushed for 101 yards and the defense registered 4 interceptions and six sacks. Chandler Jones blocked a field goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown.
The Raiders looked poor in their home opener and were beat by Houston 30-14 allowing nearly 200 yards on the ground and turning the ball over. The game prompted the “we suck” comment from Charles Woodson.
We here at PatsFans.com are continuing our “Razor’s Edge” column in 2014 to give a quick break down on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out.
Series History:
The Patriots and Raiders have met a total of 33 times with the Patriots holding a 17-15-1 edge overall. The Patriots have a 10-5-1 edge over Oakland at home. The Patriots have won the last three meetings including a 31-19 win on the road in 2011.
Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor’s Edge.
Patriots RBs vs Raiders Front Seven- Razor’s Edge Patriots
The Patriots showed a renewed emphasis to the run last week against Minnesota as Stevan Ridley carried the ball 25 times for 101 yards. The offensive line played much better and the team stayed patient with the running game and it paid dividends as they closed out the Vikings game by running, mainly with Ridley.
The Raiders are having a very rough time stopping the run right now, the Jets gashed them for 212 yards and Houston ran for 188 more as Arian Foster ran for 134 yards on Sunday. Opposing running backs are averaging 5.0 yards per carry against Oakland.
Look for the Patriots to commit to remaining balanced this week and running the ball well especially between the tackles. Ridley should remain the main go-to guy this week but Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden will each get some looks.
Patriots WRs vs Raiders Secondary-Razor’s Edge Patriots
The Patriots passing game always hinges on how well the offensive line can protect Tom Brady and Oakland has some good names in the front four with LaMarr Woodley, Antonio Smith and Justin Tuck. They like to send outside linebackers Sio Moore and Khalil Mack as well so once again Brady’s protection will be of the Patriots primary concerns.
Brady and Julian Edelman have had good production the first two weeks and he’ll be the guy that gives New England the tough yards underneath to keep the chains moving. With the Raiders linebackers being aggressive in the pass rush, look for Shane Vereen to possibly get more touches this week out of the backfield and on screens.
The Raiders are giving up only 164.5 yards per game through the air, but opposing QBs are completing 78.7 percent of their passes and have a cumulative QB rating of 110.9 against them.
If the Patriots can protect Brady as well as they did last week, there is no reason that they can’t find plenty of targets open this week. They provide lots of options for Brady to utilize and a good running game can open up play action.
Raiders RBs vs NE Front Seven- Razor’s Edge Patriots
The Raiders running game has been stuck in neutral so far this season, they signed Maurice Jones-Drew from the Jaguars but he missed the game against Houston last week with a hand injury. Darren McFadden has found the going tough as well. As a result their leading rusher is rookie QB Derek Carr who has scrambled for 58 yards thru the first two games.
The Patriots run defense looked much better against the Vikings last week, closing those cut-back lanes and forced the game into the hands of Matt Cassel. A big matchup this week to watch will be Raiders C Stefen Wisniewski and NT Vince Wilfork. If the big man can disrupt things at the point of attack it will go a long way in determining this one.
Look for a similar game plan this week by New England, try to stop the run and force the game into Carr’s hands. With a dinged up Jones-Drew, there is no reason they can’t do just that.
Raiders WRs vs NE Secondary- Razor’s Edge Patriots
There are plenty of reasons the Raiders are 0-2 but the play of the rookie QB Carr isn’t a big one. To be sure Carr has made his share of rookie mistakes but his play overall has to have the Raiders’ brass happy thus far in his development.
James Jones has had good initial chemistry with Carr catching 12 passes but look for the Patriots to give him plenty of attention. Rod Streater and TE Mychal Rivera will be the guys to watch in this one as they’ll have to step up. Rivera has caught 8 passes so far and New England’s penchant for having trouble stopping tight ends will be a matchup to watch.
The Patriots pass rush was on the mark last week, Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower and Rob Ninkovich will look to continue that trend, but with Carr’s scrambling ability, they’ll also have to contain him inside the pocket and look to force him into making mistakes. With Revis and Company providing coverage, Bill Belichick should be able to come up with a game plan to effectively disguise coverages and confuse the rookie signal caller in just his third game.
Special Teams- Razor’s Edge Patriots
Both teams are very solid in the kicking game having good kickers and punters. Oakland has Sebastian Janikowski who possesses a very strong leg although at times last year was inaccurate. Marquette King handles punting duties and is averaging 43.4 yards per punt. King led the league in 2013 with a gaudy 48.9 yard average.
The Pats counter with Gostkowski who has always been very solid as well as Ryan Allen which leaves the kicking games nearly even. However Julian Edelman in the punt return game gives the Patriots the slight edge here as he is a big threat to flip field position every time he touches the ball. Edelman had a good game in Minnesota last week, returning 4 punts for 66 yards including a 34 yard return.
Prediction:
Despite signing some nice named free-agents this spring the Raiders remain stuck in the doldrums. Head Coach Dennis Allen is already on the hot seat and he’ll need to get much better results this week and next when the team leaves for London upon leaving Foxboro if he wants to remain at the helm.
The Patriots have the edge in every category and there is no reason why they shouldn’t easily handle the Raiders on Sunday. The Raiders have a dearth of team speed and with the Patriots playing at home for the first time since Aug. 22, should spell a long afternoon for the silver and black. Oakland hasn’t fared well in East Coast games at 1 p.m. to boot.
The Patriots should be able to fluster Carr enough in the passing game to force a couple of mistakes, the key will be pouncing on them and turning them into points. New England should be able to run the ball effectively and open up play action passes for Brady to take advantage of. Look for him to target Gronkowski in the red zone. Gronk is still getting back up to speed in his rehab and getting a “Gronk spike” is a great way to get the crowd in the game.
New England should win this one comfortably on Sunday. Patriots 31-14
Patriots Player to Watch- Aaron Dobson
Dobson is still finding his way after off-season foot surgery that forced him to miss all of the spring workouts as well as most of training camp. He was inactive (and missed) in the Week 1 loss at Miami. He played last week in Minnesota but caught only a single pass for 13 yards and was only targeted twice.
The Patriots need Dobson to be much more involved in the passing offense going forward. His big 6’3 frame is a nice target for Brady to hit in the vertical passing game, something that is lacking badly right now for the offense.
With the Patriots being able to run the ball effectively, Brady should be able to take a few shots down the field with Dobson in play action. And his matchup with Tarell Brown will be one to watch.
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