Saints vs. Raiders: 3 Things to Watch in Week 2

Three Things to Watch on MNF between the Raiders and Saints September 21st.

3 Things to Watch as the New Orleans Saints visit the Las Vegas Raiders in the desert for Week 2 clash.

Correcting Offensive Struggles From Week 1, Starting in the Run Game

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Drew Brees and the Saints offense struggled throughout Sunday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, finishing with under 300 yards. The Saints rank 31st in the NFL in yards per play through one week at 4.2 yards per play, the lowest in the Sean Payton era.

Head Coach Sean Payton said post game, “Offensively, that was probably as bad of a game as I have had as a play caller, just trying to find a rhythm and a tempo. It was awful. There will be a lot that we have to correct and clean up.”

The Saints struggled to find any consistency in the run game in Week 1 (34 carries for 82 yards) as Alvin Kamara posted a career-low 1.3 yards per attempt. Against Carolina, the Las Vegas Raiders surrendered 388 yards, including over 125 yards on the ground and two rushing TDs. If the Saints commit to the run game for the second consecutive week, they could exploit the Raiders defense, opening up the play-action and creating more time for Brees in the pocket. 

Josh Jacobs vs. Saints Front 7

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In Week 1 of the 2020 season against the Carolina Panthers, Jacobs ran for a career-high 3 TDs after rushing for 7 TDs last season. Jacobs was a workhorse for the Raiders last week, carrying the ball 25 times and making four receptions for 139 scrimmage yards, en route to a 34-30 victory. The 2019 first-round pick ran for over 1,000 yards in 12 games during his rookie campaign.

New Orleans’ run defense held steady against the Buccaneers two-headed monster of Jones II, and Fournette holding their NFC South rivals to 86 yards on 20 carries. The Saints ranked fourth in opponents rushing yards per game in 2019 and land in the top-10 in the league after one game in 2020. Also, this was the 44th straight game the Saints defense did not allow a 100-yard rusher.

A Brand New Stadium, with No Fans

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Only one NFL team hosted fans last week (Jacksonville), and the narrative of artificial crowd noise will follow most NFL franchises into Week 2. For the Las Vegas Raiders, their brand new $1.84 billion stadium will not host fans until the 2021 season. The inaugural home game for the recently relocated Raiders will take place Monday as they host the New Orleans Saints.

Allegiant Stadium is one of two stadiums to make their NFL debuts in 2020, joining SoFi Stadium, home of the Rams and Chargers, which made its debut Sunday night. Monday Night’s matchup will be the first prime-time game of the season for either team and their first time going head to head since Week 1 of 2016.

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