The Saints will need to take advantage of these matchups to pull a win out on Sunday.
Saints pass protection vs. Raiders pass rush
The Las Vegas Raiders have been one of the worst teams in the league sacking the quarterback ranking 23rd in the NFL. Thay have struggled to get to the quarterback before losing superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby for the year and have averaged two sacks in the couple of games they have played without the veteran defensive end.
The Saints offensive line has allowed three sacks a game in the two matchups without Derek Carr and will be without their best offensive lineman, Pro Bowler Erik McCoy. Quarterback Spencer Rattler was under constant distress all game against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night after the offensive line failed to protect the rookie. While the Saints will be facing a less fierce opponent, the constant bad performances from the interior of the offensive line without McCoy have been a cause for serious concern.
Kendre Miller vs. Raiders run defense
After two promising performances, Kendre Miller was given the opportunity to prove himself on Monday Night Football but missed his chance. After the Saints started to slip out of the game, the offense opted to leave Miller on the bench for running back Jordan Mims due to pass-blocking difficulties. Miller would still end the day with the most rush attempts for New Orleans accumulating a dismal 15 yards on 8 run attempts equaling 1.9 yards a carry.
Miller will get another chance to prove his abilities against a much worse opponent but under a banged-up offensive line. Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy and guard Lucas Patrick are both dealing with injuries and will likely miss Sunday’s matchup. Las Vegas is around middle of the pack in terms of run defense while the Saints are around the same spot in rush yards per game. The second year running back really needs to earn his spot on Sunday as New Orleans has been looking for a long-term successor for Kamara and used a third-round pick on Miller in 2023.
The Saints secondary vs. Aiden O’Connell
The Raiders have had a revolving door of quarterbacks since the season began setting them with a 3-13 record and a prime position to draft their franchise quarterback in the Spring. Despite the struggles, quarterback Aiden O’Connell and the Raiders are coming off one of their best performances of the season beating the Jacksonville Jaguars without turning the ball over. After having lots of success taking the ball away to start the year, New Orleans has only recorded an interception once in their last five games and has been getting sliced through opposing quarterbacks. The Saints secondary will have to take advantage of poor quarterback play across from them and record multiple interceptions to pull off a win on Sunday.
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