Of all the NFL games that will be without fans this season, it’s hard to imagine any will miss the roar more than Monday night’s visit from the New Orleans Saints. It’s Monday Night Football. It’s the first ever game in Las Vegas for the Raiders. It’s a battle of two 1-0 squads. It’s Drew Brees.
And….it’ll be empty.
Such a bummer. And yet, I suppose in this current moment, the right thing to do is be glad this game is being played at all, right? There was a season in which the NFL scheduled looked unlikely to be completed — but here we are and football is totally back.
Coming off a win over the lowly Carolina Panthers, the Raiders will look to keep some early-season momentum going — albeit against a much fiercer opponent this time around. Each week I’ll do my best to preview the game with three things to watch and two predictions — starting now.
Three to watch…
1) Who actually plays?
Both teams are currently battling some pretty serious injuries, with a lot of uncertainty remaining about who we’ll actually see on the field Sunday. The Raiders have seen Trent Brown and Sam Young (their starting and backup right tackles) out of practice all week, as well as Henry Ruggs III and Nick Kwiatkoski. Three starters and a key backup all missing Monday would be a nightmare for Jon Gruden and Co.
On the other side, the Saints are likely to be without Michael Thomas — arguably the league’s best receiver and Drew Brees’ favorite target. For a young secondary in Vegas, that would be a huge relief.
2) Arnette and Mullen better be ready
Week 1 wasn’t an “easy” assignment for the Raiders’ young secondary given the lack of information they had on the Panthers’ offense, the array of offensive weapons (Christian McCaffery, DJ Moore, Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel) and the lack of preseason reps. All in all, they did alright — with only one real blemish (albeit a massive one in Anderson’s 75-yard touchdown).
This week they get Brees, and even if Thomas doesn’t play, the Saints remain one of the most creative offenses in football and will be eager to exploit the Raiders’ youthfulness. Add in the national stage, and this will be a big test for Damon Arnette and Trayvon Mullen.
3) Josh Jacobs repeat?
Josh Jacobs reminded everyone on Sunday that he belongs in the conversation for best running backs in the league. His 10 broken tackles were far and away the best mark in the league last week, as was his three rushing touchdowns. Last week, the Saints held Ronald Jones to just 66 yards on 17 carries, but Jacobs will be a whole new beast compared to that matchup.
For the Raiders to win on Monday, they’ll need at least 100 yards out of Jacobs as they try and control the clock a little bit and keep the defense honest.
Predictons
Nelson Agholor Comes Out of Nowhere
With Ruggs limited at best, I’d expect Nelson Agholor to have a big game on Monday Night. He caught a beautiful touchdown in Week 1, but with an opportunity to start I wouldn’t be shocked to see him have five catches for 70+ yards on Monday.
Raiders lose, but are competitive
Coming in as 5.5 point underdogs at home, few people are expecting the Raiders to win this game — even with Thomas unlikely to play. While I think they lose on Monday, I do think the Raiders will earn the respect of a national media that has long doubted them. My biggest fear last week was the defense’s inability to get to the quarterback and force turnovers — and unless both of those things change, I don’t like their odds.
Score Prediction: Saints 31, Raiders 24
