The Oakland Raiders (2-1) will take on the New England Patriots (2-1) at home.  The Patriots are coming off a 31-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills, in which Tom Brady passed for 387 yards.

The big match-up this week for the Raiders will be their 1st ranked rushing attack verses the Patriots 10th ranked rushing defense.  Look for there to be some classic battles down in the trenches.

Let’s take a look at the rest of those match-ups…

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	Player Rating Comp% TDs INTs J.Campbell 99.7 65% 3 1 T.Brady  113.8 69%  11 5

Tom Brady is coming off a 30 for 45 performance in which he had 387 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.  The 4 interceptions was not a typical Brady day.  Tom Brady is an elite quarterback that every team fears when he drops back to throw the ball.  And the Oakland Raiders will no doubt be well prepared for the Patriot passing attack…but can they slow it down enough to win?

At quarterback, the Raiders will call upon Jason Campbell.  He is coming off a passing performance against the Jets in which he was 18 for 27 with 156 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.  Campbell has fit in well so far this year in the Raider attack that looks to run the ball first and then throw deep.

Raiders Offensive Ranking vs Opponents Defensive Ranking (2011 stats)
Rushing	Yds		Passing	Yds		RushD	Yds		PassD	Yds
1st	185		26th	190		10th	91		32nd	377

The big match-up this week, like the intro indicates, is the Raiders 1st ranked offense against the Patriots 10th ranked defense.  Can the Patriots keep down Darren McFadden and that Raider running game?

If you haven’t watched many Raiders’ games, one might think that Oakland just pounds the ball at their opponents.  And I suppose they do.  But the Raiders are the number one ranked rushing team because they have speed.  They don’t march down the field in a cloud of dust…they pound it at the defense until they make a mistake and then McFadden bust a long run.

As big as the Patriots front 4 are, the Raiders will still try and run the ball…and they probably will be successful.

The passing match-up appears to be a toss up, unless the Raiders are able to run the ball as successfully as they would hope.  If that is the case, then the Raiders will capitalize on the aggressive run support of the Patriots by using their receiver speed and getting chunks of yardage through the air, as well.

Below, is a chart of each offensive line position and an evaluation on which team has the advantage when the offense runs in that direction. In 2010, the average yards, per carry, for an NFL team was 3.9. Pro Football Spotlight has calculated how much each team is above or below that point, and come up with a yardage score that is in favor of one team or the other.

Raiders Rushing Attack vs Opponent Rushing Defense

L. End	L. Tackle	L. Guard	Center	R. Guard	R. Tackle	R. End
+13	-1.3	-3.1	+.4	-2.9	+2	0
						Push

The chart above shows that the Raiders have some distinct advantages when running the ball.  The Raiders get the edge when running the ball around the left end and off the right tackle.  Look for Oakland and McFadden to attack that left side of the formation.

The Patriots look to be solid around the two guard positions.  And why wouldn’t they be, with those two big defensive tackles of theirs?  Look for the Raiders to have problems up the gut and do better around the ends and on stretch cut backs.

Raiders Defensive Ranking vs Opponents Offensive Ranking (2011 stats)
Rushing	Yds		Passing	Yds		RushD	Yds		PassD	Yds
13th	102		1st	437		26th	120		28th	289

There is no surprise in what the match-up is in the chart above.  Can the Raiders’ 28th ranked pass defense stop…no, slow down the Patriots when New England takes to the air?  One key to the Raiders’ victory will be keeping their defensive unit fresh by controlling the clock and the ball on offense.

You might like this article also:  Raiders vs Patriots Preview:  Analyzing New England’s Football Tendencies, here.