Raiders face short week, cross-country flight

Playing the New England Patriots is daunting enough without having to piecemeal a game day roster on a cross country flight.

That’s what the Las Vegas Raiders are faced with Sunday

in Foxboro, Mass., as they attempt to start an NFL season 3- 0 for the first time since 2002.

The Raiders opened that season 4-0 and lost four straight before righting themselves, winning the AFC championship and then losing in the Super Bowl to Jon Gruden’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In other words, ancient history.

In the here and now, Gruden is a game or two away from the

Raiders being taken seriously as a playoff contender. Cam Newton is the Patriots’ quarterback instead of Tom Brady, which amazingly enough might be an upgrade. The coach is still Bill Belichick and the Patriots are 121-23 since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002, not including

19- 4 in the playoffs. The Raiders are 0-2 there, losing in 2005 and 2014.

New England is 1-1, falling 35- 30 to Seattle but playing well enough that rampant speculation that this would be the year for someone else to win the AFC East after 11 straight titles was put on indefinite hold.

The Raiders are coming off a short week following an emotion- charged 3424 win over New Orleans Monday night in their first game at Allegiant Stadium, and the physical toll was considerable.

Running back Josh Jacobs ( hip) and tight end Darren Waller ( knee) barely practiced all week, the two primary weapons in the attack led by quarterback Derek Carr. Henr y Ruggs III, the speedy rookie first-round draft pick, won’t play with a hamstring strain. Right tackle Trent Brown and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski will miss their third straight game.

Gruden isn’t sure who will be playing on the offensive line along with left tackle Kolton Miller, center Rodney Hudson and right guard Gabe Jackson.

And the Patriots, as usual under Belichick, are the best in the business at tailoring their strategy to the opponent.

“He’s going to have a plan for you,” Gruden said. “What you saw last week is not probably what you’re going to see on game day, so you’ve got to be able to counter that and balance that in your own way.”

A few keys for the Raiders as they seek to go 3- 0: 1. MAKE NEWTON THROW FROM THE POCKET >> Newton had more downfield throws than any quarterback in the NFL against Seattle last week. And that’s what the Raiders want — Newton launching from the pocket. The longer the ball is in the air, the better the chance to make a play on the ball.

What the Raiders don’t want to see is Newton breaking outside, extending plays, turning nothing into something big. It wasn’t a concern with Brady, but it’s a down-bydown dilemma with Newton.

It also gives the Raiders’ pass rush a chance to get going. Newton historically has taken a lot of sacks. He won’t be getting rid of the ball as quickly as Teddy Bridgewater or Drew Brees, giving Maxx Crosby and a so-far mediocre pass rush a chance to get home. Crosby had 10 sacks as a rookie and none through two games.

“When you have a year like that, you’re going to show up on tape and that’s a good thing,” Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. “He’s got to keep building. Don’t press. It’s a lot like interceptions. If you’re in the right spot, if you’re in the right leverage, you’re in the right spot, the right game plan, things will come to you if you just do your job.”

2. GET EXPLOSIVE ON OFFENSE >> There’s no quibbling with eight touchdowns and four field goals in two games, and the Raiders are wearing out the opposition in the process. Their average touchdown drive has been nine plays and 72 yards. Their average field goal drive has been nine plays and 41 yards.

It will be hard to maintain that kind of consistency, so they’ll need to mix in some explosive plays. If they’re touchdowns, all the better. With Ruggs out, that becomes more difficult. But Jalen Richard has the capability to go the distance, and getting Waller isolated against a smaller defensive back could help.