Week 3 is on tap as the Raiders head into their first truly hostile environment in New Orleans. to get a bead on what the Raiders can expect from the Saints in this game, we caught up with John Sigler, lead writer at Saints Wire. John was gracious enough to answer a few questions from me.
1. How much should be buy into Tyler Shough leading the league in passing over the first two weeks?
It's real. Shough has serious arm talent and an ability to layer passes over defenders in coverage. Saints fans are excited to see him continue growing as more weapons (like Jordyn Tyson, eventually) get involved in the offense. But it's going to be tough for him to keep it up without Kelvin Banks Jr. at left tackle and little help from the run game.
2. The late game comebacks are cool, but what's going on that the Saints have found themselves in these holes they have to dig out of?
The Saints have done really bad job of scripting their opening series and anticipating new wrinkles their opponents
haven't shown yet, like the Lions rolling out a new blitz package. Part of that is on Shough. Part of it is on Kellen Moore, who has struggled to get his offense going in the first half throughout his coaching career.
3. What are the biggest weakness that have shown up so far for this team?
New Orleans just can't run the football. They don't have the athletes to make defenders miss tackles, and an offensive line full of first- and second-round picks can't get right. Outside of some scrambles by Shough and short-yardage reliance on rookie backup CJ Donaldson, we haven't seen much progress on a unit that was a major point of emphasis this offseason. They really miss Klint Kubiak and his assistants in that department.
4. Give me an under-the-radar player on each side of the ball for the Saints.
Watch out for rookie fourth-round pick Bryce Lance on offense. The former North Dakota State wide receiver has made hay as a blocker and decoy on complimentary routes, but he also converted on 4th-and-12 in a clutch moment against Detroit (on his very first NFL reception). Defensively, Pete Werner has really come into his own after replacing Demario Davis at middle linebacker. He's reading his keys and reacting faster, he's making plays in coverage, and he hasn't missed a tackle in either of his first two games.
5. Who wins this game? Why? Score prediction.
I know I sound like a homer, but I like the Saints to win this one. They've built a ton of momentum and are taking the field with the highest expectations yet under Moore. I'm worried about the offensive line (Taliese Fuaga has underperformed after moving back to right tackle, his college position, and Maxx Crosby is a tough matchup) but Shough has played well under pressure so far.
Give me New Orleans 24-20.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Raiders Week 3 matchup with Saints Wire
