Fresh of another come from behind victory against the Houston Texans, the Oakland Raiders look to extend their four-game winning streak at home against the Carolina Panthers. Derek Carr was responsible for bringing the Raiders back from the brink of defeat. Against the Panthers, the Raiders’ passing game, the offensive line, and first and second down defense hold the Raiders week 12 keys to victory.
Oakland Raiders Week 12 Keys to Victory
Raiders Passing Game
The Carolina Panthers currently rank 27th against the pass, giving up an average of 271 yards per game and have given up a total of 19 touchdowns through the air. Derek Carr is averaging 280 yards per game and has accumulated 20 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions thus far. This spells bad news for the Panthers secondary. Carr’s success can be attributed to his dynamic skill players and his incredibly stout offensive line just as much as his MVP caliber play. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree should have no problems getting open and making plays against a weak Carolina secondary.
On top of having arguably the best wide out duo in the league, the Raiders posses athletic pass catching options in rookie running back Jalen Richard and fullback Jamize Olawale. Richard is a mismatch against less athletic linebackers and can make plays, while Olawale has sneaky speed and hands and is a trusted asset with the ball in his hands. Credit offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave for his diverse scheme and ability to create plays to get his playmakers the ball. He has proven to be a top offensive mind this year with a fantastic quarterback and well of skill players. He should have no problem creating a game plan to take advantage of Carolina’s biggest weakness and the Raiders should have no problem executing it.
Offensive Line
For Carr and company to execute the game plan properly, the offensive line needs to play well. For as bad as Carolina’s secondary is, their defensive line can still create some havoc. Carolina ranks third in the NFL in sacks with 30 and given the opportunity, a fierce Carolina pass rush could swing the game very easily in the Panther’s favor. The Panthers also boast the second best run defense in the league and if Oakland can’t run the ball effectively and find themselves in third and long Carolina could have a field day pinning their ears back and cashing after Carr. The Panthers don’t need to necessarily sack Carr but enough hurries and hits will force any quarterback to make a few bad decisions. And with how suspect the Raiders defense ahs been, one mistake could cost the Raiders the game.
Despite Cam Newton’s struggles he’s still a threat to put up 30 points on his own each game. The Raiders’ best chance to beat him is to keep him on the sideline and they can do that by controlling the clock. To control the clock the Raiders offensive line will have to create a push and open up holes for the running backs. Keeping the time of possession in the Raiders favor will prove to be a huge asset and it starts with the offensive line battling against a very formidable front seven.
Early Down Defense
The Raiders defense, by and large, has not been very good this year to say the least. They’ve been improving but still leave much to be desired. They’re giving up an average of 110+ yards per game on the ground, can’t rush the quarterback very well, and still give up way too many chunk plays. However, they have the fourth best third down defense in the NFL. That’s a great stat for this much-maligned defense in that it wins football games. But the Raiders can’t seem to stop teams on first and second down. This comes into play very heavily against a team that likes to run the ball and take shots with play action and read option plays. The Raiders early down defense is going to have to set the tone early and force Newton into third and longs where he is least comfortable.
If the Raiders can win on first and second down, it takes away Carolina’s ability to run the ball via the traditional run game or the read option run game on third and short. Getting Carolina to third down and the ultimately off the field is most important. Keeping last year’s MVP off the field and keeping their own MVP candidate on it for extended amounts of time is a winning recipe for the Oakland Raiders in week 12.
