Raiders Preview: With a chance to make a statement against the Vikings as home underdogs
I have to assume that at some point during Monday morning’s Las Vegas Raiders’ reopening following a week off, Antonio Pierce posted this message:
There is genuine disregard.
The Raiders will be visiting Josh Dobbs and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The Vikings have dropped their previous two games, most notably a humiliating 12-10 setback at home against the Bears last week. Nevertheless, on Sunday, the Vikings are the favourites.
After a bye, raiders are back? Not important.
Is Joshua Dobbs crashing back down to earth? Doesn’t matter. Home field advantage for the Raiders? Doesn’t matter. Like I said: the disrespect is real. The question is, however, whether Sunday’s performance will validate the oddsmakers or prove them wrong.
For Pierce, I think you could make the case that the next two weeks will tell you everything you need to know about his future as a coach. How his team looks coming off of a bye against a beatable opponent will speak volumes about his competency as the guy in charge — as will a short week game against the Chargers just a few days later. Win these two, and I think Pierce becomes the favorite to keep the job — but anything short of that and I think he finds himself on the outside looking in.
I know Mattison has been the lead back for Minnesota, but Ty Chandler has been surging recently and could start to peck away at some of those carries. That plus a Raiders run defense that has been solid has me leaning under here.
Myers’ over was one of our two wins last Sunday, and I continue to like him as a sneaky producer again this week. Antonio Pierce continues to go out of his way to mention Myers, and as teams put all of their attention on stopping Davante Adams, I think Myers will get somewhere in the ballpark of 50 yards on Sunday.
My initial lean here was to find a Jacobs over I liked, but the more I thought about it, the more my mind was changed. The Vikings have the seventh-best rush defense in the league (96 yards per game allowed) and have been even better over their last three (76.3) — and most of that was Justin Fields running from the quarterback position! Add in the fact that Raiders’ left tackle Kolton Miller is out for this one, and I think it’ll be tough sledding for Jacobs so I’m leaning under.
