Oakland Raiders vs New England Patriots preview, predictions, betting odds, live stream info
Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots
The 1-1 New England Patriots, fresh off of a dominating 30-7 victory over the Minnesota will be at home for the first time this season when they play host to the 0-2 Oakland Raiders at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts Sunday afternoon. The Patriots’ defense, behind defensive end Chandler Jones and cornerback Darrelle Revis, looked much better in week two and were able to blow out the Vikings despite a sub-par performance from Tom Brady. The Raiders, led by rookie quarterback Derek Carr, haven’t really been competitive in their first two games, a 19-14 loss to the New York Jets and a 30-14 loss to the Houston Texans.
Raiders vs. Patriots viewing information:
Date: September 21, 2014
Start Time: 1:00 pm EST
Location: Foxboro, Massachusetts
Stadium: Gillette Stadium
TV Info: CBS/NFL Sunday Ticket
Live Stream: NFLSundayTicket.TV
Radio: NFL Audio Pass
Ticket information: For Raiders ticket information, click here. For Patriots ticket information, click here.
Keys to Victory
Through two weeks, the Raiders have been the league’s worst team against the run, giving up 200 yards per game. After a poor performance in week one, the Patriots rolled up 150 yards on the ground last week, led by Stevan Ridley, who rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Ridley and Shane Vereen, who had 40 yards on six attempts himself, should be in for another big day. That’s why the Raiders may stack the box and force Brady to beat them. Brady is one of the all-time greats, but has struggled this season and it would be nice for the Patriots to see him start to build a better relationship with some of his receivers not named Julian Edelman.
Offensively, the Raiders have been a mess. Maurice Jones-Drew is already injured and was replaced by former first round pick Darren McFadden last week. Although they’d love to to get their running game going to protect rookie quarterback Derek Carr, it doesn’t look like that will happen. If the Patriots get up early and have to throw, look for Chandler Jones to have another big day. He is developing into the type of player the Patriots thought he could be – he had eight tackles, two sacks and a blocked field goal he returned for a touchdown last week against the Vikings.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: New England – 14.5
Moneyline: NE -1200
O/U: 47
Prediction
As long as the Patriots avoid turnovers and mistakes (the Patriots lead the league in penalty yardage so far), they should cruise to an easy victory.
Final Score: Patriots 31, Raiders 13