Getty Rodney Hudson injured against the Texans.
The Detroit Lions saved their season for the time being by pulling out a win over the New York Giants last week, but some bigger tests lie ahead in terms of the team staying in the playoff picture.
If Detroit wants to continue to be thought of as a potential playoff team, the Lions had better find a way to go on the road and score a massive win against the Oakland Raiders which would keep them in the race.
So if the Lions want to win, who will they have to watch out for on the other side? Here’s a look at some of the top Raiders angles to remember for the weekend.
Raiders Player To Watch – Josh Jacobs, RB
The Lions have battled some tougher running backs in recent weeks, with Jacobs merely being the latest they have to deal with. So far this season, Jacobs has rumbled for 620 yards and 4 touchdowns. The four scores are the second highest total on the Raiders offense at this point in time, only to wideout Tyrell Williams. Detroit did a nice job against Saquon Barkley last week, but their run defense has left plenty to be desired much of this season, so the Lions will have to continue to man up in the trenches. If the Raiders can get Jacobs going, on the other hand, it will make life plenty easier for Derek Carr and a passing game which also features troublesome tight end Darren Waller.
Raiders Key Personnel Group – Defensive Backfield
The Raiders have not taken the ball away this year whatsoever with only three interceptions to their credit. As a whole, the Raiders are also one of the worst teams in the league at generating any type of pass defense. As a whole, Oakland allows over 285 yards per game on average and has surrendered a whopping 19 touchdowns. Facing a Detroit team that is slinging the ball better than ever before with Matthew Stafford, that’s bad news. Somehow, this group will have to limit and slow down the likes of Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Marvin Hall, some of the NFL’s hottest receivers in recent weeks. The pressure is not only on the Oakland front to generate a pass rush and stop Detroit’s committee ground game, but to try and limit the damage the receivers can do. It won’t be easy considering the numbers this year.
Raiders Biggest Name Missing – Rodney Hudson, C
Hudson didn’t practice early in the week, and a worry is the team’s center might not be a go for the game. Their backup center Andre James is also banged up and might not be able to go. Against the likes of Damon Harrison, Trey Flowers and Da’Shawn Hand, not having a nearly 10 year veteran center or a capable backup could be rough news. If Hudson and James can’t go, it’s possible veteran guard Richie Incognito might be pressed into duty at center. All jokes aside, that could be trouble for the Raiders. Incognito has never played the position in his career minus brief duty there in 2010, and despite his willingness, it would be a tough experiment necessitated by a lack of depth against a team who needs its defensive line to get going. Watch the middle of the line to see if Detroit might be able to break free to stop Jacobs as well as pressure Carr a little bit easier.
Headset Heads Up
Matt Patricia and Jon Gruden don’t have a ton of history between each other, but the two did meet up earlier in the 2018 preseason for some joint practices out in California. That’s a fact that Patricia was quick to point out this week, thanking Gruden and his team for the hospitality.
“This is a team we don’t know very well. I think they’re well coached, I think they’ve gotten a lot better,” Patricia said to the media. “Obviously we had a great opportunity to practice against them last year, that was good experience for us to be able to go out there and they were tremendous to us and hosted us while we were out there for the week.”
Specifically, Patricia credited Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock for how they have constructed the Raiders roster and how they are putting together and coaching the team through the 2019 year.
“Coach Gruden’s doing a great job, Mike Mayock, putting a team together that’s got a good combination of young, very talented, explosive players combined with some veterans that are some pretty savvy vets that are experienced in the NFL and bringing these guys along at a high level,” Patricia said when breaking down the Raiders roster.
The Lions hope not to be as hospitable as guests. In the 2018 preseason, the Raiders rolled over Detroit 16-10 in the debut of both Patricia and Gruden to their new jobs.
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