Silver And Black Pride
Week 1 is finally here as the Las Vegas Raiders are set to take on the New England Patriots this Sunday. Both teams are ushering in new coaching regimes, with Pete Carroll taking over in Las Vegas and Mike Vrabel returning to New England.
Obviously, both Carroll and Vrabel want to get off to a good start in their new stomping grounds, and winning the three key matchups below will go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.
It’s been well documented that Koonce was robbed of building on his impressive 2023 campaign and having a chance to prove himself in a contract year last season, tearing an ACL a week before the opener. Luckily, the pass-rusher gets a second chance and returns to the Raiders’ defense after signing a one-year, $11.04 million contract this offseason.
Meanwhile, Campbell, the Patriots’ first-round pick, will be making his regular-season debut and should draw plenty of one-on-one matchups with Koonce. The defensive end has primarily lined up on the defense’s right side throughout his career and the No. 4 overall will be the Patriots’ starting left tackle this season.
Also, while most teams would look to give their rookie some help in pass protection, Maxx Crosby commands the most attention on the Raiders’ defensive line. So, Campbell might be left on an island more often than not this Sunday, as New England focuses on giving right tackle Morgan Moses reinforcements against Crosby.
The LSU product was known for his pass protection skills in college, giving up just four sacks and 49 pressures on nearly 1,600 snaps in pass protection during his career, per Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Koonce looks to return to his 2023 form, when he logged 52 pressures (eight sacks) and a 14.2 percent pass-rush win rate.
Las Vegas’ interior offensive line finished last season strong. Guard Dylan Parham posted the highest PFF grade (74.3) of his career, while guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson gave up just 23 pressures (two sacks) and earned a 70.4 run-blocking grade as a rookie, and guard/center Jordan Meredith proved to be a quality starter by logging the seventh-best mark (80.8) among guards.
However, the new coaching staff has re-shuffled the entire unit, flipping Parham from the right side to the left, moving Powers-Johnson to right guard and putting Meredith at center. That provides some intrigue into how each player will perform at their new spot, and the interior line faces a tough test against New England.
The Patriots opened up the checkbook during free agency, making Milton Williams the second-highest-paid defensive tackle in the league. Not only is the former Eagle coming off a Super Bowl-winning performance, but he also had a career year as a pass-rusher last season with 54 pressures and seven sacks (including the postseason), per PFF.
Additionally, Christian Barmore returns for his fifth season in New England and can also put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. He signed a [four-year, $84 million...
