Already we are in Week 3 of the regular season, and it’s great to have football back, isn’t it? This Sunday, the 1-1 New England Patriots welcome the 2-0 Las Vegas Raiders to Gillette Stadium. LFG.
Date: Sunday, September 27, 2020
Game Time: 1:00 PM EST
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Network: CBS
All-time record: Patriots lead series 19-15 (including playoffs) 1 Tie
When They Last Met…
Raiders 8-33 Patriots
November 19, 2017
The Patriots put in a dominant display over the, then, Oakland Raiders, in front of 77,000 fans at Azteca Stadium, Mexico.
The Patriots, who were technically the away team at the neutral venue, took an early 7-0 lead after Tom Brady completed a pass to Dion Lewis, who was able to weave his way into the end zone for a 15-yard TD.
The Raiders tried to answer back with an immediate score, Derek Carr went deep to Johnny Holton, but the pass was broken up by Jonathan Jones and intercepted by Duron Harmon. Both teams stalled on drives into the second quarter, before Brady led the Pats downfield, ending with a 5-yard TD pass to Danny Amendola, making it 14-0.
A Raider fumble on the Patriots 5-yard line caused by Trey Flowers and recovered by Patrick Chung, this allowed Stephen Gostkowski to kick a career-best 62-yard field goal. Halftime score, Raiders 0-17 Patriots.
The Pats started fast in the third quarter, Brady capped off the drive with a 64-yard strike to Brandin Cooks, increasing the lead to 24-0. Two consecutive field goals by Gostkowski then made it 30-0.
Oakland finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, a spirited drive by Carr ended with him finding Amari Cooper for the score. Gostkowski finished the rout by nailing an easy 29-yard field goal. Final, Raiders 8-33 Patriots.
Performances
NE
QB Tom Brady 30/37 – 340 YDS – 3 TD
RB Dion Lewis 10 carries 60 YDS – 4 receptions 28 YDS 1 TD
WR Brandin Cooks 6/9 – 149 YDS 1 TD
WR Danny Amendola 8/9 – 66 YDS 1 TD
OAK
QB Derek Carr 28/49 – 237 YDS – 1 TD 1 INT
RB Marshawn Lynch 11 carries 67 YDS – 1 reception 10 YDS
WR Amari Cooper 3/7 28 YDS 1 TD
Key Matchups – Darren Waller & Josh Jacobs vs Patriots Defense
With Russell Wilson in the rear-view mirror, the Patriots will have to stop two of the Raiders biggest playmakers on Sunday, TE Darren Waller and RB Josh Jacobs.
Darren Waller
Since we saw his career resurgence on Hard Knocks in 2019, Waller has emerged as one of the best tight ends in the NFL. On Monday night he hauled in 12 catches for 103 YDS, 1 TD against the Saints.
Keeping him quiet won’t be easy, I’d expect Bill to look to CB Joejuan Williams to cover him in a similar manner to TE Mike Gesicki when the Patriots played Miami in Week 1.
Bill tipped his hat to Waller, identifying the threat he brings.
That’s the challenge of players like that, that are versatile players that can create problems in different ways. It’s definitely not just one thing, there are a number of things you have to deal with and be ready for. So we’ll just try to look at all of them and put ourselves in the best position we can, but he’s a very productive player he has a good set of skills and he’s a hard guy to handle.
Bill Belichick on dealing with Darren Waller
Josh Jacobs
Jacobs has also had a hot start to his second season in the league, he opened up by rushing for 93 YDS, 3 TDs against Carolina, and 88 YDS against the Saints on Monday.
As well as being an established rusher, Jacobs has shown his utility as a pass catcher out of the backfield, with Carr targeting him nine times so far this season.
Jacobs will hope former Patriot Trent Brown will return to one of the strongest offensive fronts in the league, it would be a huge boost against a severely under-manned Patriots front. Chase Winovich showed some explosiveness when getting into the backfield against Seattle, we need him to bring more of this on Sunday, I feel the game will be won or lost depending on if we can stop Jacobs.
Player Spotlight – Isaiah Wynn
Isaiah Wynn will start only his eleventh game as a Patriot on Sunday, following a string of injury-plagued years as a professional.
Wynn, a former first-round pick out of Georgia is showing some real progression in the early stages of his third season on the roster. The Patriots have some stability again within the offensive front and Wynn plays a big part in that by making the LT position his own.
Although the run game has staggered a little in the opening two games, Wynn has played well and will only improve throughout the season if he remains healthy.
Wynn still has some critics, but I’m liking what he’s doing out there, I think he’ll be important for us in the remainder of the season.
Familiar Faces
Only two familiar faces return to Foxborough this weekend, a former RB coach and a former Super Bowl champion.
Coaching Staff
RBC Kirby Wilson
Main Roster
OL Trent Brown
Did you know?- Trent Brown played in just one season for the Patriots as starting LT, in a year that would end in triumph at Super Bowl 53. He left the team in free agency and signed a four-year $66 million deal with the Raiders.
Score Prediction: Raiders 20-31 Patriots
My prediction in last week’s game preview was a little off the mark, this week I’m going for a Pats bounce-back win by a difference of 11 points. Think I’ve seen enough to convince myself that the Patriots can beat good teams, starting this Sunday.
[…] Check out my Week 3 preview here! […]