Raiders-Saints preview: Odds, players to watch and prediction
The Raiders’ 10-game losing streak is over.
Now the team will attempt to win consecutive contests for the first time this season when it travels to New Orleans to play the Saints (5-10) on Sunday.
The stakes aren’t high for either team. The Raiders (3-12) and New Orleans are playing out the string, as they’ve been eliminated from postseason contention for a while now.
Game information
■ Who: Raiders at Saints
■ When: 10 a.m. Sunday
■ Where: Caesars Superdome
■ TV: Fox (Adam Amin, play-by-play; Mark Sanchez, analyst)
■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Lincoln Kennedy, analyst)
■ Line: Raiders -1½, total 37½
Series history
The two teams have met 15 times and are 7-7-1 against each other. They played to a tie in their first matchup in 1971.
The Raiders won the next three games between the organizations, but the Saints have since rallied to even up the all-time series.
Last meeting
Oct. 30, 2022 — The Raiders had a nightmarish Halloween eve in the supposedly haunted city of New Orleans.
The team’s offense was downright frightening in the 24-0 loss, as it failed to cross midfield until the final two minutes of the game. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham had replaced an inept Derek Carr, now the Saints starter, by that point.
Running back Alvin Kamara caught nine passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns for New Orleans while adding 62 yards and a score on the ground.
Carr completed 15 of his 26 passes for 101 yards and an interception. The Raiders gained just 38 rushing yards on 13 carries.
Bold predictions
1. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell, after completing the first fourth-quarter comeback of his young career last week against the Jaguars, will rally the Raiders to a late victory again.
2. Both kickers, the Raiders’ Daniel Carlson and New Orleans’ Blake Grupe, will make field goals of at least 50 yards in the first half.
3. Wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. will have multiple catches for the first time in a Raiders uniform as he returns to his home state of Louisiana, where he starred collegiately at LSU.
Storyline
The narrative for this game was obvious when it was first unveiled on the schedule.
Carr, who played for the Raiders for nine seasons, would be taking on his former team for the first time. Things look different this week, however.
Carr is out with a left hand injury. The matchup also has lost a bit of luster with both teams limping to the finish line.
When the Raiders have the ball
The Raiders’ numbers weren’t eye-popping last week, but they at least showed signs of competence.
They moved the chains somewhat consistently and put two impressive drives together in the fourth quarter. One resulted in a go-ahead touchdown and another took almost seven minutes off the clock.
Part of that was O’Connell using his legs to extend plays. He’s not known as a rushing threat, so the defense didn’t often account for him as a runner. He took advantage to make some key plays.
The rest of the Raiders’ running game is still struggling to find space, but veteran running back Ameer Abdullah has been a solid receiver out of the backfield.
The top option in the passing game remains rookie tight end Brock Bowers. He’s set several records already this season and is on the verge of several more.
Bowers, who has 101 catches for 1,067 yards, needs seven receptions to break tight end Darren Waller’s franchise record of 107 in a single season. Bowers is 10 yards away from Mike Ditka’s record for receiving yards by a rookie tight end. Bowers is also just five grabs away from breaking Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua’s record for catches by any rookie.
When the Saints have the ball
Carr makes this offense at least watchable, so he’s a huge loss for New Orleans.
The Saints’ other quarterbacks this season are Jake Haener and rookie fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler. The latter was under center Monday when New Orleans became the first NFL team to get shut out this season in a 34-0 loss to the Packers.
Part of the Saints’ problems in Green Bay came from the absence of Kamara, who will miss another game this week with a groin injury. New Orleans just doesn’t have many playmakers on offense with him out. The Saints at least have a chance to get standout wide receiver Chris Olave back Sunday. He’s been out since Nov. 3 with a concussion.
Injury report
■ Raiders: OUT: LG Jordan Meredith (ankle). LIMITED: CB Nate Hobbs (illness), RB Dylan Laube (illness). FULL: DE K’Lavon Chaisson (foot), LB Kana’i Mauga (calf), LG Jackson Powers-Johnson (quad/ankle).
■ Saints: OUT: QB Derek Carr (left hand), RB Alvin Kamara (groin) C Erik McCoy (elbow), LG Lucas Patrick. QUESTIONABLE: DT Nathan Shepherd (eye), WR Chris Olave (head), CB Rico Payton (illness), WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (chest). FULL: TE Juwan Johnson (foot), DE Payton Turner (ankle).
The pick
Raiders 20, Saints 19
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
