The Las Vegas Raiders (2-0) are marching into New Orleans riding the precocious of back-to-back victories to unfastened the season.
It has besides been a coagulated commencement for the Saints (1-1), who should person a raucous assemblage for the location opener aft 2 large performances connected the road.
Klint Kubiak, a erstwhile Saints assistant, volition instrumentality to Louisiana arsenic an undefeated caput coach.
Game information
■ Who: Raiders astatine Saints
■ When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
■ Where: Caesars Superdome; New Orleans
■ TV: CBS (Chris Lewis, play-by-play; Luke Kuechly, analyst)
■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Kirk Morrison, analyst)
■ Line: Saints -3, full 43½
Series history
The Raiders person won 3 of the past 4 meetings and present person an 8-7-1 pb successful 16 meetings successful a bid that dates backmost to 1971.
That archetypal gathering was the lone necktie betwixt the teams, a 21-21 stalemate successful New Orleans. The Raiders won the adjacent 3 matchups.
Last meeting
Dec. 29, 2024 — The Raiders unopen retired the Saints successful the 2nd fractional en way to a 25-10 victory successful a matchup of 2 teams playing retired the drawstring successful disappointing seasons.
Ameer Abdullah ran for 115 yards for the Raiders, eclipsing 100 yards for the lone clip successful his career.
Aidan O’Connell threw for 242 yards and connected connected touchdowns with Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker.
The defence recorded 3 sacks and intercepted Spencer Rattler doubly successful the win.
Bold predictions
1. Fullback Connor Heyward volition people his archetypal touchdown since past October.
2. Ashton Jeanty volition eclipse his career-high of 138 rushing yards.
3. Saints kicker Daniel Carlson volition marque 2 tract goals of astatine slightest 50 yards, delivering a game-winning footwear against his erstwhile team.
Storyline
This is simply a acold much appealing crippled than it looked erstwhile the docket archetypal came retired successful the spring.
The Raiders person started 2-0, and though some of their wins came against teams who look to beryllium terrible, the much encouraging facet of the victories is not that they won but however they did it.
They person been tenacious connected defense and person recovered a mode connected offense.
The Raiders look to beryllium up of docket connected their rebuild, which could perchance propulsion backmost immoderate program to determination connected to rookie backmost Fernando Mendoza.
New Orleans appears to person recovered its backmost of the aboriginal successful Tyler Shough, who leads the league successful passing done 2 weeks.
The Saints person fallen down successful each of the archetypal 2 games lone to person Shough pb rallies that person created a brace of fantastic finishes, 1 moving retired for them and 1 falling short.
One of these teams could travel retired of this crippled looking similar a morganatic playoff contender. That would person been a stunning condemnation adjacent conscionable 2 weeks ago.
When the Saints person the ball
New Orleans truly has not been capable to tally the shot yet this season.
That could beryllium a effect of falling down aboriginal successful some games oregon possibly it’s conscionable not going to beryllium a spot of this squad adjacent though they person talented backs successful Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara.
But it besides hasn’t truly mattered. New Orleans is seventh successful full discourtesy and ninth successful points per game.
Shough is simply a large crushed why.
Despite a dreadful archetypal fractional successful the opener, helium is averaging a league-best 331 passing yards per game.
His favourite people has been emerging prima Chris Olave, who entered the week 9 yards down Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the league pb successful receiving yards.
“They’re explosive,” Raiders antiaircraft coordinator Rob Leonard said. “They person bully players and they’re starring the league successful passing yards. They’re a truly bully shot squad playing with a batch of confidence.”
It volition beryllium a matchup of strengths. The Raiders pb the league successful unit complaint and Shough has excelled truthful acold this play erstwhile nether duress.
“Anybody that tin basal successful determination and instrumentality unit and wounded you is painful,” Leonard said. “He’s a bully player.”
He’s besides got a beardown playcaller successful caput manager Kellen Moore.
One cardinal origin successful the crippled could beryllium the lack of starting near tackle Kevin Banks, who volition miss the crippled with an ankle injury. That isn’t a bully improvement erstwhile preparing for a squad similar the Raiders generating unit connected fractional of opposing dropbacks.
When the Raiders person the ball
It’s been a beauteous akin commencement connected discourtesy for the Raiders, who fertile dormant past successful the league successful yards per rushing attempt.
They person been capable to get the occupation done done immoderate originative schematic moves by Kubiak and the seasoned savvy of backmost Kirk Cousins.
The Miami Dolphins backed disconnected their safeties and the Raiders took vantage underneath. Then the Los Angeles Chargers stacked the container and the Raiders went implicit the top.
It has been an violative attack that tin champion beryllium described arsenic competent, which is simply a immense measurement up for this organization.
This could beryllium different week to trust connected Jeanty arsenic the Raiders did against Miami. The Saints person allowed 136.5 yards per crippled connected the ground, adjacent the bottommost of the league.
New Orleans doesn’t look large statistically successful immoderate category, but they person made stops precocious successful games erstwhile it mattered and forced cardinal turnovers.
“It’s a radical that plays truly hard, plays truly fast, precise well-coached, opportunistic,” Raiders violative coordinator Andrew Janocko said. “They instrumentality vantage of mistakes, and they’re playing astatine a precocious level close now.”
The occupation of defending the Raiders would get overmuch much hard if Brock Bowers is capable to play. He is questionable to return from a process connected his genu little than 3 weeks ago.
His beingness could truly unlock the Raiders offense.
Injury report
■ Raiders: Out: S Treydan Stukes (concussion), QB Aidan O’Connell (personal). Questionable: TE Brock Bowers (knee), DE Kwity Paye (illness).
■ Saints: Out: DT Christen Miller (toe), WR Barion Brown (hamstring). Questionable: CB Martin Emerson (shoulder).
The pick
Saints 24, Raiders 23
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
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