Newton presents unique challenge for Raiders
Patriots QB looks as good as ever for New England
There’s still some work for Cam Newton to do before we can say Superman is back. Until then, the Patriots and their fans are fine with him just being the Man of Steel.
T he quarterback nobody else wanted, and nobody else believed could return to MVP-level form with the Panthers, sure looks a lot like his old self with New England.
Finally free of nagging foot and shoulder injuries, Newton nearly single-handedly led the Patriots to a thrilling come-from-behind win in Seattle on Sunday night. He accounted for 95 percent of New England’s offense, throwing for 397 yards as well as running for 47. His magic ran out on the Seahawks’ 1-yard line when he was stopped in his tracks on a potential game-winning TD run as time expired.
Nonetheless, he’s at least shown the Raiders he’ll present quite a challenge Sunday in Foxboro, Mass.
Here’s a closer look at what to look for when the Raiders head back out on the road:
Three reasons for Raiders’ optimism
DEFENSE HAS TAKEN QUITE A HIT >> It’s no shock that the Patriots’ once-dominant defense has looked a lot more ordinary this season. Last year, New England had the NFL’s top defense in Expected Points Added (EPA) — an analytical stat measuring the value of individual plays.
This offseason the Patriots lost six starters from that team, including Pro Bowl linebacker Dont’a Hightower, linebacker Kyle Van Noy and safety Patrick Chung. How big of a hit did they take? Only one other NFL team in the last 60 years lost more Approximate Value (AV) than the
Patriots did. Only the Ravens from 2001 to 2002 watched more valuable players leave in one offseason since 1960.
The loss of talent explains why the Patriots are a middle- of- the-road defense so far. They’re 14th in points allowed (23.0) and 11th in yards allowed per game (349).
NO SUPERSTAR RUNNING BACK >> After back-to-back weeks dealing with the likes of Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara, the Raiders get a break of sorts in Foxboro.
As usual, the Patriots’ stable of running backs is full of reliable and sneaky good players — Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel will see the bulk of the action. Pats backs, though, combined for just 20 rushing yards on 14 carries in their loss to Seattle.
On Sunday, the Patriots were without third- down specialist James White, whose parents were involved in a tragic car crash that left his father dead and his mother in intensive care this past weekend.
KICKING WOES RESURFACE
>> If Sunday’s game comes
down to which team has the better place kicker, the Raiders have to like their chances.
While the Raiders’ Daniel Carlson has reverted back to his 2018 form, going 4-for- 4 with two makes from 54 yards, Patriots coach Belichick is fending off questions of whether he’ll get rid of his kicker, Nick Folk, after he’s missed two of his three field goal attempts.
“Nick’s our k icker,” Belichick told reporters after Folk missed important
kicks from 51 and 45 yards.
The struggles aren’t new for the Pats. New England’s revolving door at kicker last year included four kickers getting their shot. Folk, who was just 5-for- 8 from beyond 40 yards last year, was re-signed after fifth-round draft pick Justin Rohrwasser struggled in camp and was placed on the practice squad.
Three reasons for Raiders’ pessimism
PATRIOTS’ SHUTDOWN COR
NER >> Stephon Gilmore is more than a shutdown corner, actually. He’s the best defensive player in the NFL, at least he was last year when he won Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Gilmore had a bit of a rough go on Sunday night against Seattle’s DK Metcalf, who used his size (6foot- 4, 229 pounds) to push the 6-1, 202-pound Patriots corner around. Gilmore allowed his first touchdown pass as a primary defender since 2018 when Metcalf snuck past him for a 54yard TD catch.
Gilmore figures to have a bounce-back game against the Raiders, who don’t have any receiver with the size and game-breaking ability such as Metcalf. DISRUPTING THE PASSING GAME >> The Raiders are 2- 0 despite their pass rush being nearly the worst in the NFL.
They’ve gotten to the quarterback just one time in 73 pass plays over two games, and their sack percentage of 1.37 is 31st in the league. Only the hapless (and sackless) Panthers have been worse.
Now they’ll face Newton and a potent Patriots pass attack that generally gets time to throw — New England has allowed just three sacks. The Raiders rank 27th in team pressure rate (16.4%, according to NextGenStats) and will need to figure out a way to make things uncomfortable for Newton.
A SUPERIOR INTERIOR LINE >> Whether it’s trying to get to Newton or attempting to slow down the Patriots’ running attack, the Raiders will encounter arguably the toughest trio of interior linemen in the league.
Gua rd s Joe T huney and Shaq Mason and center David Andrews are all ranked among PFF’s top 15 interior linemen in the league. Thuney, who somehow dominated Rams’ allworld defensive tackle Aaron Donald in Super Bowl LIII, is tough enough on his own. But he’s got plenty of talent around him in the highly regarded Andrews (second to the Raiders’ Rodney Hudson among pass-blocking centers) and Mason (85.6 run-blocking grade by PFF, third among guards).