The Los Angeles Rams travel north to play the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Coliseum in a game that marks the official return of Jon Gruden to the NFL.
The Raiders are facing what is expected to be one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses without linebacker Khalil Mack, who was recently traded to the Chicago Bears and yesterday had a huge game against the Green Bay Packers.
So how can the Raiders win this Monday Night Football matchup against the Rams? Here’s a look at five things that Oakland must accomplish tonight to earn the win against L.A.
1.- Put heavy pressure on Jared Goff: The Rams’ quarterback is extremely vulnerable under duress as he is prone to struggle when he doesn’t have time to find and connect with his wide receivers.
This is vital because the Rams wideouts are better than Oakland’s cornerbacks and if he gets in a rhythm he will simply have a field day with them. The good news is that in this preseason the Raiders had 12 sacks (the most in the last five preseasons so maybe there’s hope.)
2.- Raiders need to establish the running game: Oakland must find a way to pound the ball inside with Marshawn Lynch and the rest of the rushing unit. The offensive front needs to find ways to dominate the line of scrimmage to open holes and lanes for the running backs to squeeze through.
A good running game keeps the pressure off quarterback Derek Carr and the Rams defense in check. If Oakland successfully establishes a running game then they will be able to wear down the Rams’ big defenders, keep possession of the ball, sustain long drives and keep the Rams’ potent offense off the field.
3.- Contain Rams’ running back Todd Gurley: Oakland’s linebackers must step up and find a way to shut down or at least contain the Rams’ running game. They must not allow Gurley to run the ball effectively and use his big-play ability and break off in stellar fashion like he did last year when he won the 2017 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.
4.- Offensive line must protect Derek Carr: On Monday night the Raiders will face arguably the best defensive line in the NFL and the offensive front must find a way to keep their quarterback on his two feet. Carr is a quarterback that also struggled mightily under pressure last year and even had to miss several weeks of action with an injury due to the hits he took when he was sacked.
If the Raiders want to win this game they must protect him and find a way to give him enough time to find his wide receivers. That won’t happen unless the Raiders offensive line buys those receivers enough time to get open and Carr can stay inside the pocket.
5.- Win the turnover battle: The Raiders defense needs to find ways to create turnovers and their offense must limit mistakes when on the field. The Rams can’t be given a short field to start their drives as they are too explosive and will quickly turn those opportunities into points. The Raiders defense needs to be aggressive and create fumbles and interceptions. If they do that the Raiders will keep the Rams offense off the field and provide Carr and company with good field position and added scoring opportunities.
