On Sunday, the Raiders have an opportunity to start the season with a 3-0 record for the first time since 2021, but a road win in New Orleans isn’t going to come easy.
The Saints are 3.5-point favorites to win on Sunday, and former Raider tackle Marshall Newhouse talked this week about why the matchup might not be a good one for the Silver & Black.
But there are a few details around this week’s game to feel good about.
Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers previewed the game this week and he believes the Saints have an offensive tendency that should work to the advantage of Rob Leonard’s defense on Sunday.
“The one advantage that I think the Raiders have in this matchup is the fact that Kellen Moore is pass happy,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast.
“It’s the one thing about him. He’s very pass happy. They’re throwing the ball on 70 percent of the offensive plays right now, which I think plays right into the Raiders’ hands because the Raiders are getting a lot of pressure on the quarterback without blitzing. The Raiders are only blitzing 20 percent of the time, and they are still tied for the league lead in sacks with eight right now.”
Through two games this year, only the Houston Texans (94) have attempted more passes than the Saints (90) and Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said another 60 throws could be coming in week 3.
Raiders getting to the QB without blitzing…
Through two games this year, Leonard’s defense is near the bottom of the NFL in blitz rate and as league analyst Jon Ledyard pointed out this week, the first-year coordinator’s formula hasn’t necessarily been getting to the quarterback in a hurry.
From his Substack column on Wednesday, Ledyard explained how Leonard’s coverage schemes deserve a lot of credit…
“The Raiders are currently first in the NFL in pressure rate per Next Gen Stats. And they are doing it despite being just 24th in blitz rate (23.5 percent)! Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard doesn’t blitz often, but when he does he makes it count. Per Sumer Sports, the Raiders are currently generating the highest rate of pressure in the NFL on blitzes, even above the Vikings…
One might expect that Maxx Crosby has simply dominated, and that’s how we got here. Crosby has been excellent, but the reasons for the Raiders defensive resurgence go beyond his play. Leonard has some very cool designs in his pressures that are confusing protections and confusing quarterbacks. Let’s look at an example or two of both situations.
The Raiders have done lots of things to disrupt timing, change up coverages and force quarterbacks to hold the ball longer than they want to. Las Vegas is first in pressure rate as previously mentioned, but they are only 25th in time to pressure this season. Substantial credit belongs to their coverage schemes for how they’ve forced turn-downs and caused quarterbacks to double-clutch more than they want to. Two weeks into the season, only three defenses have a slower time to throw against them than the Raiders do.”
x: @raidersbeat