Las Vegas Raiders vs. New England Patriots line, TV/radio, matchup and prediction
Raiders-Patriots at a glance
Kickoff: 10 a.m. PDT Monday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Fresno TV/radio: ESPN/KFIG & KFPT (940 AM & 790 AM)
Records: Raiders 2-0; Patriots 1-1
Line: Patriots -6
The matchup
The Raiders trailed the New Orleans Saints 17-7 in the first half, but rallied to win 34-24 in the inaugural game at Allegiant Stadium. It was a good way to open up their new digs. At first, it looked a bit dismal as the Saints offense had its way in the first half.
But the defense held the Saints scoreless in the third quarter. The Raiders have outscored their first two opponents 17-0 in the third quarter.
“We’re a young team with a lot of new players,” Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. “We’re still a work in progress. We got kind of off to a little bit of a slow start the other night and made some adjustments, we settled the guys down and I thought they responded. It’s all part of working together more and more.”
For the second week in a row, the Raiders totaled 34 points. Derek Carr led the way when he completed 28 of 38 for 284 yards and three touchdowns. He needs two touchdowns to pass Daryle Lamonica (Clovis High) for the second-most touchdowns in franchise history. He needs four to pass Ken Stabler.
Carr is not thinking about records. He’s more thinking about what the New England Patriots can bring.
“We definitely have to be ready any time we play anyone from the New England scheme and that organization,” he said. “That’s what they do best, they try to take away your best players. It’ll be a great opportunity to see who steps up. Like we always talk about, we’re not a selfish team. If they want to take something away, then other guys will step up.”
Raiders tight end Darren Waller has caught the attention of Patriots’ cornerback JC Jackson, who said “he’s good man. We’ve got something for him this weekend.”
Patriots safety Devin McCourty compared Waller to former NFL wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Calvin Johnson.
New England coach Bill Belichick has seen plenty from Waller.
“I think it’s been such a long time since we’ve seen a guy like this,” he said. “He’s really got great receiver skills, played receiver. He’s got a lot of length like a big receiver does, but he’s got very good quickness and he blocks very competitively. He’s not afraid to mix it up.”
Carr said he’s glad to be his quarterback.
“I definitely know throwing to Waller, I’m always in the zone,” he said. “Because even when I miss a pass, he makes it look good. The rim’s a little bit bigger when you throw to him.”
It is a homecoming for Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr., who was born in Canton, Mass. and is the son of former Patriots defensive back Maurice Hurst.
The Patriots come into the game off a 35-30 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but were close to a 2-0 record before the Seahawks stopped Cam Newton at the 1-yard line
Despite that, Newton is showing he’s a threat to win Comeback Player of the Year after he missed most of the 2019 season because of a foot injury.
Going into Week 3, Newton is 45 of 63 for 552 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, he has 26 carries for 122 yards and four touchdowns.
Gruden had a unique nickname for Newton.
“I haven’t seen many guys walk through my doors that look like Cam. I call him Slam,” Gruden told the Boston media. “Slam Newton, that was a nickname I gave them. He is a power forward playing quarterback. He’s oversized for the position, but he’s gifted so much athletically. It’s incredible what he’s accomplished and his durability is is really impressive.”
The Patriots continue to have weapons, with Julian Edelman providing one of the main targets for Newton, along with fellow wide receivers N’Keal Harry and Damiere Byrd and tight end Ryan Izzo.
New England also leans on running backs Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel.
Defensively, the Patriots are led by defensive backs McCourty and Stephone Gilmore. Defensive back Adrian Phillips paces the Patriots so far this season with 17 tackles.
The Raiders will see a familiar face in linebacker Shilique Calhoun. He played for the Raiders from 2016 to 2018 after getting selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft.
He signed with the Patriots in 2019.
Injury report
Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (knee/hamstring), tackle Trent Brown (calf) and LB Nick Kwiatkoski are listed as out. Running back Josh Jacobs (hip), tight end Darren Waller (knee), tackle Sam Young (groin) and guard Denzelle Good (thumb/illness) are questionable.
Patriots will be without center David Andrews (hand), running back James White (not injury related) and linebacker Josh Uche (foot). Wide receivers Julian Edelman (knee), N’Keal Harry (ankle), defensive back Kyle Dugger (ankle), defensive lineman Adam Butler (shoulder) and tackle Isaiah Wynn (calf) are questionable.
Prediction
It is another East Coast road trip for the Raiders and they return to an area where they haven’t had much success.
The last win in Foxborough was in 1994 — a 21-17 victory. In 2014, the Raiders lost 16-9 in Carr’s rookie season.
The Patriots have won five consecutive games against the Raiders.
If the Raiders have any chance in winning the game, the defense will have to get going early and often and contain Newton. The past two games have seen slow starts by the Raiders defense. The Raiders offense bailed out the defense and rallied for the win.
I’m going out on the limb here as Carr goes 2-0 against Newton. Here is the pick.
Prediction: Raiders 23, Patriots 20
This story was originally published September 26, 2020 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Las Vegas Raiders vs. New England Patriots line, TV/radio, matchup and prediction."
