The New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders will square off on Monday night in the final game of Week 2.
ESPN recently developed a computer model that allows the Worldwide Leader in Sports to predict the outcome of looming NFL outings.
According to this model, the Saints have a 58.2 percent chance of emerging from Monday night victorious.
That is roughly in line with how odds makers see this thing shaking out, with New Orleans listed as a -5.5 favorite in most sports books.
The Saints got off to a strong start in Week 1, overcoming a quiet — by their standards — offensive day to defeat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-23. The team’s defense held Tom Brady to 239 yards and two touchdowns, while also forcing two interceptions.
Even the players were confused. https://t.co/4D4hJsUwzI
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 21, 2020
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr knows he has to be ready for war when he squares off against this Saints’ defensive unit.
“Their D-line is disruptive,” he said.
“Obviously we know about Cam Jordan but all those guys; they can all get to the passer and disrupt a game so we have our hands full come Monday night but again excited for the challenge.”
Las Vegas, meanwhile, kicked the year off with a 34-30 win over the Carolina Panthers. It is difficult to read into what precisely the Raiders’ performance in that one meant, as Carolina got shellacked by Tampa Bay in Week 2 31-17.
The Raiders defense’s inability to generate any sort of pressure against Teddy Brigdewater was concerning, but it is unclear at this stage if that was a one-off occurrence or the beginning of a trend.
The hope originally was that defensive tackle Maliek Collins would add some toughness to the interior rush, but as the team’s one sack on Bridgewater showed, he had minimal impact.
Dwight Howard is playing a dangerous game. https://t.co/G8r8DLADIU
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 21, 2020
Saints quarterback Drew Brees obviously will look to take advantage of the weaknesses showcased by Las Vegas’ defense in Week 1.
Recently, Carr came out and expressed how much respect he has for Brees.
“I love his game,” he said.
“He keeps the ball moving, he’s efficient, they stay on schedule. He’s one of the best to ever play the game.”
At 41 years old, Brees is still as wily as ever – and Carr recognizes that.
“We model a lot of what we do as quarterbacks based on what he does,” he continued.
“He’d rather throw a completion than throw a 40-yard pass for an incompletion. And he has a Super Bowl ring, so he doesn’t care much about it.”
Yikes Paul George. https://t.co/cbudiW6cI7
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 21, 2020
Brees wasn’t the only Saints quarterback to receive high praise from the Raiders. Head coach Jon Gruden is also a big fan of Taysom Hill’s.
“I don’t remember a quarterback that can throw and run read options and then line up at tight end,” Gruden said.
“This guy is a weapon. He’s a special teams demon. He can be the personal protector on the punt team. He’s a great football player,” he continued.
“You know how a lot of guys (say), ‘He’s a football player’? This guy’s a football player. He can play anywhere on the football field. You’ve got to be aware of No. 7 because he can ruin the game. They have a great package to keep us off his scent. You just can’t prepare for him for anything. He’s a football player.”
You can just see how much Jon Gruden loves watching Taysom Hill play. Two football guys. pic.twitter.com/IW7IcMaMeV
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 19, 2020
All in all, this will be a very telling outing.
Tampa Bay will be nipping at New Orleans’ heels in the NFC South all year long, so staying ahead of Brady and Co. in the standings will be crucial.
The Raiders, meanwhile, find themselves in a unique position this season. Early injuries to Drew Lock and Tyrod Taylor have left the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers in very questionable positions. There is an opportunity there to be the second-best team in the AFC West – it is just a question of whether the Raiders will be able to size it.
The Saints and Raiders will kick off at 5:15 pm PT Monday on ESPN.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
