Getty Kenny Golladay stretches to make a grab.
The Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders are set to renew hostilities this weekend, and it’s a significant game for both teams to win in order to be able to hang around the playoff picture.
When the game kicks off, there will be plenty of matchups which will decide which team is able to take home the victory when all is said and done. So what spots must step up and which matchups will decide who wins and who loses?
Here’s a look at the key matchups for the game that will likely determine a winner on the west coast.
Damon Harrison vs. Richie Incognito
If Incognito plays center, which has been rumored this week as a possibility, it immediately becomes advantage Harrison up front for the Lions. Incognito has little to no experience at the position, and though Harrison has been inconsistent this year, that could be just the news the powerful tackle wants to hear. He’s played his whole career in the middle of a line and knows the ins and outs of facing the best interior linemen in the game. Without slowing Harrison, there is no way the Raiders get their decent ground game going, and holes opening in the line could also mean trouble passing the ball for Derek Carr. Simply, the success of Detroit’s whole defensive matchup might hinge on what happens in the middle of the Oakland line. Whether it’s Incognito or someone else could prove vital to remember by the time kickoff occurs Sunday.
Trayvon Mullen and Daryl Worley vs. Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones
In the last two games, the hot duo of Golladay and Jones have snagged 6 touchdowns while accounting for 259 yards receiving. If it hasn’t been one doing the damage, it’s been the other, putting major pressure on this duo of Raiders cornerbacks to step up and make any type of play against them. Oakland’s pass defense has been abysmal this year, so one of Jones or Golladay could theoretically feast, with potentially both being able to go off. If teams believe in the timing of matchups playing a role in their outcome as they often do, it’s clear this could be a very bad time to be catching Golladay and Jones if you’re the Raiders. It’s on the backfield to be able to step up and force some mistakes with sticky coverage.
Benson Mayowa vs. Rick Wagner
Thus far in his Detroit career, Wagner has hardly lived up to his beefy contract he was handed in free agency, and this week, he will have to be more than steady off the edge in taking on Mayowa, a guy who already has 5.5 sacks and has proven to be one of the freakier defensive end and edge players in the league this season. Thus far, he’s been the best player on the Raiders front, and the Lions need to find a way to limit the damage and keep Matthew Stafford clean in order to win the game. Stafford’s pocket was fairly spotless against the Giants which played a role in another winning effort, but that has to remain the case for the Lions to have their best chance at victory.
Trey Flowers vs. Kolton Miller
Finally, Flowers managed to get going with two huge sacks against New York, and that performance was huge for the Lions, who needed him to be able to deliver in crunch time. More of that is needed, and if it is to happen this week, it might have to come against one of the better turnaround stories in football. Miller is having a solid 2019 season thus far, but will be put to the test by Flowers and his array of moves. The Lions need to heat up the pocket on defense to help their back end out, and Flowers is a huge key to doing this. He showed how he can take over and impact a game in a flurry last week, and more consistency this week will mean the Lions potentially making life tough on Carr in the pocket.
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