What to watch for when Patriots visit Josh McDaniels and his Raiders in Week 15
BOSTON -- The Patriots really needed a win Monday night in Arizona to keep their playoff hopes alive. They got that victory, but now they really need a win in Las Vegas on Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Patriots are currently slotted as the final Wild Card team in the AFC, and they'll have to keep winning over the next month in order to hang on to that spot. The Raiders were supposed to be competing for a playoff spot in Josh McDaniels' first year at the helm, but lost seven of their first nine games to fall out of the conversation early.
Las Vegas has played better of late, winning three of its last four, but the team has had a knack for blowing games. The Raiders have lost four games that they led by 13 points, with the latest instance coming last Thursday night against the lowly L.A. Rams. Vegas crumbled in the fourth quarter to fall to 5-8 on the year.
That's partly why Sunday's game -- which was touted as a Bill Belichick-Josh McDaniels showdown -- was flexed out of Sunday Night Football and into the forgettable 4 p.m. window. The NFL would rather feature the Commanders and the Giants as its Sunday night showcase, which is a pretty big indictment on how bad the Patriots and the Raiders have been this season.
But we'll be watching no matter what time the game is on (though we're very grateful that a late night has been erased from the equation), and here's what we'll be watching for when the Patriots and the Raiders square off.
The Josh Effect
If anyone knows the New England offense, it's Josh McDaniels. He's been gone for almost a year and he still probably knows more about Mac Jones than the current cluster of guys on the Patriots sideline.
Mac and Josh were practically inseparable on the sideline throughout the quarterback's rookie season. McDaniels probably has the best scouting report in the business on Jones and what he likes and doesn't like. The Raiders will be well-prepared for Jones and the New England offense on Sunday. Whether they can stop the Pats is another thing, but the Raiders will have a unique advantage.
Past assistants have had success against Belichick too. Brian Flores recently went 3-1 against New England while with the Dolphins. McDaniels logged a win over Belichick and the Patriots in his first season in Denver, and believe it or not, even Matt Patricia beat his former mentor during his unsuccessful run in Detroit. Romeo Crennel lost to Belichick and the Patriots as head coach of the Browns in 2007, but then picked up a win against his former team as interim head coach of the Texans. Eric Mangini was 3-4 against the Patriots with the Jets and the Browns, while Bill O'Brien had just one win in five tries against the Patriots while with the Texans.
So former New England coaches can get the best of Belichick and the Patriots. Whatever happens on Sunday, Belichick will still probably give McDaniels a big hug after the game. This time around, he may not let go and drag McDaniels back to New England.
Running Raiders
What kind of offense do the Raiders have under McDaniels? So far this season, a disappointing one. But there has been nothing disappointing about the Las Vegas run game.
Josh Jacobs is the best running back in the NFL. He leads the league with 1,402 yards on the ground, which is over 200 yards more than perennial rushing leader Derrick Henry. Jacobs is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and he's found the end zone 11 times this season. He's only coughed it up once.
The New England defense loves to take away a team's top option on offense, so there will be a lot of focus on Jacobs on Sunday. The Patriots had a tough time against James Connor on Monday night, with the back averaging nearly six yards per carry for Arizona, but New England's front seven should be able to take advantage of an inconsistent Vegas offensive line on Sunday.
Overall this season, the Patriots have allowed just 4.2 yards per rush, which is good for eighth-best in the NFL.
Containing Adams
The Patriots have struggled against big-game receivers this season, and will face another on Sunday in Davante Adams. He's been mostly stellar in his first season with the Raiders, hauling in 82 catches (tied for fifth-most in the NFL) for 1,247 yards (third-most) and 12 touchdowns (tied for league-lead). Single coverage won't suffice against a guy like Adams, so New England safeties are going to have to provide a lot of help.
Really, you can't stop Adams. You just have to hope that you can keep him from going wild and completely flipping a game.
Complicating matters for the Patriots defense is tight end Darren Waller and receiver Hunter Renfrow are eligible to return this week. Adams has put up big numbers despite those other weapons being on IR, and if the Raiders are whole again on Sunday, the New England defense could be in for a long day.
New England's backfield
The Raiders are vulnerable at linebacker, so we could see a lot more screen passes on Sunday. But the entire world knows of New England's affinity for the screen pass -- even if Mac Jones seems to hate them with a passion -- so the Raiders will be ready for a dozen or so to come their way.
But that may be the only threat on offense, with the Patriots' stable at running back a bit thin at the moment. Rhamondre Stevenson has been the team's best offensive player, but he may have to sit this one out after suffering an ankle injury on Monday night. Damien Harris may be able to return from his thigh injury, but he hasn't played since Thanksgiving night. Kevin Harris looked good early after Stevenson went down in Arizona, but then fumbled a handoff before halftime, which opened the door for Pierre Strong to shine.
And shine he did, showing off some blazing speed on a 44-yard run. Strong could get an extended look on Sunday depending on Stevenson's status and how much rust Damien Harris shows should he return.
But whoever is taking handoffs is going to have to deal with a stout Vegas defensive line, which has helped make up for the team's lackluster linebackers with a strong run defense. The Raiders are allowing 110.5 rushing yards per game (ninth-best in the NFL) and just 4.2 yards per carry (seventh).
WBZ-TV gets you ready for Sunday's Patriots-Raiders clash Friday night with Patriots All Access at 7 p.m.! Coverage kicks off Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m., and after the game switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!
