The Saints will line up against Derek Carr and Davante Adams in a midseason showdown.
The New Orleans Saints return home in Week 8 feeling good about themselves, coming off big games against the Bengals and Cardinals. Now, Davante Adams and the Las Vegas Raiders will come to town looking to rain on that second line. Our guys break it down.
Matt: Vegas has the Saints’ number over the last couple years, which worries me.
However, this is a new Saints franchise with Dennis Allen taking over as head coach and Jameis fully getting the reins under center. The Raiders lead the all-time series 7-6-1, but New Orleans has won 3 of the last 5.
Derek Carr and Davante Adams together are a scary combination, along with Josh Jacobs coming out of the backfield. Then there’s Darren Waller. Offensively, Las Vegas could be dangerous.
But this is the Dome Patrol 2.0 after all.
I see this game being low scoring early and the fireworks come out late. In the end, Derek Carr finds a way to make a play late and sneak out of NOLA with a win.
Score: Raiders win 27-24
Chris: I understand the Raiders have elite offensive weapons. But so do the Saints.
For every Davante Adams there’s a Michael Thomas. For every Josh Jacobs there’s an Alvin Kamara. For every Darren Waller there’s an Adam Trau…just kidding.
In any event, I think the two offenses likely set up to be a wash this game, with the wild cards being defense, special teams, and the home field advantage. The last time these two teams played, it was in Vegas. This time, Derek Carr and the Raiders offense will have to contend with 70,000 Who Dat faithful, and I like the defense’s chances to make plays.
This isn’t to say the Raiders offense isn’t any good—it is. It’s just that I like the chances of the Saints offense finding room against a Raiders defense that is likely in the bottom half of the league rather than the Raiders’ offense playing against one of the NFL’s best in New Orleans.
If the Saints can get out to an early lead, this is the type of game that could get away from the Raiders if forced to play catch-up.
Score: Saints win 31-17
Andrew: I think Saints fans would hope that by this point in the season, the offense is starting to click a bit, and things are starting to make sense as the team rounds into shape at the midpoint in the season. The only problem is that the same can probably be said for the Raiders, Derek Carr and Davante Adams.
As average as I think Carr is, I actually think he and Adams are a great match—especially when you contrast Adams’s skill set with that of tight end Darren Waller. Carr can be conservative like he wants to be, but with Adams, he’ll likely always have a safety valve to move the chains.
The current Saints thrive on creating turnovers as a defense and creating big plays on offense. And the Raiders win by not screwing up. A game like this feels like it could come down to whoever wins the turnover battle, which is the type of game the Raiders are good at playing.
I predict that Carr takes care of the ball, moves the chains, and the Raiders beat the Saints by not beating themselves.
Score: Raiders win 31-24
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