Who would have thought Raiders-Saints would be one of the must-see games of Week 3?
asserted
Saints → think → Week
The Raiders arrive in New Orleans with a 2-0 record and growing evidence that the foundation being built by coach Klint Kubiak can support something considerably more substantial than another rebuilding season.
asserted
foundation → arrive → season
The Saints are coming off a statement win at Baltimore, with quarterback Tyler Shough giving their fans reason to believe something special might be taking shape, too.
uncertain
something → come → shape
Put those developments inside a stadium that hardly needs an excuse to get loud, add the emotion of the Saints’ home opener and Sunday suddenly looks like a revealing afternoon for two teams trying to turn September optimism into something lasting.
For the Raiders, it also represents a different kind of test.
asserted
it → put → test
They opened the season in the comfort of Allegiant Stadium, then beat the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, where the crowd offered plenty of reminders of the franchise’s enduring Southern California roots.
asserted
crowd → open → roots
The noise will challenge their communication.
asserted
noise → challenge → communication
The Saints will test their defensive discipline.
asserted
Saints → test → discipline
And if Shough gets rolling, the Raiders could find themselves needing more from quarterback Kirk Cousins than simply keeping the offense on schedule.
uncertain
themselves → roll → schedule
That makes the opening stretch particularly important.
asserted
stretch → make → ?
The Raiders have scored 27 first-half points through two games, placing them among the league’s top-10 teams.
asserted
Raiders → score → teams
The Saints have managed just six, the NFL’s second-lowest total.
asserted
Saints → manage → six
But taking advantage means finishing possessions with touchdowns and making New Orleans chase the game before the crowd can help the Saints take control of it.
asserted
Saints → take → it
Kubiak has already shown he will give his offense chances to be aggressive.
asserted
he → show → chances
His decision to attack before halftime against the Chargers, rather than settle for getting to the locker room tied, reflected a coach willing to trust his players.
asserted
decision → attack → players
That confidence matters.
asserted
confidence → matter → ?
So does knowing when to lean on the running game, protect Cousins and keep a difficult environment from dictating the offense’s terms.
asserted
knowing → do → terms
Defensively, the Raiders have an obvious pressure point.
asserted
Raiders → have → point
With Saints starting left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. unavailable, replacement Asim Richards draws Maxx Crosby a week after Crosby dominated Chargers tackle Joe Alt.
asserted
Crosby → start → Alt
A Raiders pass rush generating pressure on 47.1% of opponents’ dropbacks should have opportunities to disrupt Shough.
asserted
rush → generate → Shough
But pressure and containment must work together.
asserted
pressure → work → ?
Winning quickly up front means less if the coverage gives Shough an immediate escape route through wide receiver Chris Olave.
asserted
coverage → win → Olave
The Raiders need their rush and secondary operating together, their offense protecting the football and their young players resisting the temptation to do too much when the building gets loud.
asserted
building → need → much
Two wins have earned them attention.
asserted
wins → earn → attention
A third, in this setting, would give their promising start considerably more weight.
asserted
third → give → weight
The Raiders have begun to change the conversation about who they are.
asserted
they → begin → conversation
Sunday will help determine how far that conversation should go.
asserted
conversation → help → ?
Richards gets little time to ease into replacing injured Saints left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.
asserted
Richards → get → time
His assignment is Crosby, who dominated Joe Alt last week and now gets a chance to attack a backup.
asserted
who → dominate → backup
New Orleans can help Richards with chips and extra protection, but those resources have to come from somewhere.
asserted
resources → help → chips
Crosby can influence the game by getting to Shough or forcing the Saints to limit their receiving options to keep their quarterback upright.
asserted
Crosby → influence → quarterback
Slowing Olave will require a collective effort, but Stokes figures to draw the bulk of the assignment.
asserted
Stokes → slow → assignment
The challenge is contesting throws without allowing Olave to turn an aggressive approach against him.
asserted
Olave → contest → him
With the Raiders looking to pressure Shough, Stokes must make the quarterback hold the ball long enough for the rush to matter.
asserted
rush → look → ball
THE PICK
Saints 28, Raiders 24
The Raiders are getting closer to becoming a team capable of winning in any environment.
asserted
Raiders → get → environment
Shough and the Saints return home carrying the confidence of a huge win at Baltimore, and the crowd should make every critical offensive possession more difficult for the Silver-and-Black.
asserted
possession → return → Silver
Crosby will create problems, and Cousins will keep the Raiders within reach.
asserted
Cousins → create → reach
But New Orleans makes one more play late to hand the Raiders their first loss.
asserted
Orleans → make → loss
FOUR DOWNS
First down: Can the Raiders bury the Saints early?
asserted
Raiders → bury → Saints
The Raiders have scored 27 points in the first halves of their first two games, ranking among the NFL’s top 10.
asserted
Raiders → score → 10
The Saints have managed only six, the league’s second-worst total.
asserted
Saints → manage → six
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
