After a bye week in week 13, the Las Vegas Raiders are back for their week 14 preview versus the Minnesota Vikings.
The Raiders come into this game off a frustrating loss against their arch-rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. They went up 14-0 just to get outscored 31-3 the remainder of the game. It was ugly all around and dropped their record to 5-7.
After watching the Broncos lose and Chiefs lose in week 13 along with the Chargers winning 6-0 in New England, the Raiders dropped to last place in the AFC West. They play a similarly hungry Minnesota Vikings team that is currently 6-6 coming into this week 14 preview.
Raiders Week 14 Preview vs. Vikings
If the Raiders are going to make a last-season surge into the postseason, they need to win out. They have no margin for error. A 9-8 record isn’t going to win them a spot in the Wild Card Round. It’s do or die for the remainder of the schedule. Let’s get into the week 14 preview.
Matchups to Watch
Raiders Secondary vs. Justin Jefferson
Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (18) – Rich Schultz/AP Photo
Josh Dobbs is once again starting at quarterback for the Vikings. But this time he will have arguably the best wide receiver in the league back on offense.
Whether you have Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, or Tyreek Hill as number 1 on your top receiver list, you can’t go wrong. “JJetta” is a prolific receiver in the NFL and the best pass catcher that the Vikings have had since Randy Moss.
That’s the likely comparison for Jefferson. With that being said, this is a Raiders secondary that can either look good or look lost out there. They’ve been an extremely up and down unit all season long.
Looking at this week 14 preview, if the Raiders want to win they’ve got to double-team Jefferson and force Dobbs to go elsewhere. That’s easier said than done. This offense has a lot of weapons to target like TJ Hockenson, Jordan Addison, and K.J. Osborn.
It’s not a good matchup for this Raiders secondary which was razor thin at the start of the season and continues to be so after releasing ineffective cornerback Marcus Peters.
How will “Mad Maxx” Hold Up?
Las Vegas Raiders Edge Maxx Crosby (98) – Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
Maxx Crosby is hurt and he is hurt badly. Yet this Iron Man refuses to sit out. He isn’t going to be playing 98% of snaps as he had been before his knee injury, but he’s going to be giving 110% effort on every snap that he is out there for.
The question is, how effective can he be on 1 leg? He’s essentially playing with 1 leg out there due to the serious knee injury he is playing through. As he said earlier this week, if Maxx Crosby has a heartbeat, he will be out there on the field.
Maxx Crosby is a warrior, but he also is the only pass rusher this team has. When he’s not getting to the quarterback as we saw against Kansas City, absolutely nobody is getting pressure. How will he hold up on Sunday? That’s something we need to see.
Looking at this week 14 preview, the Raiders need Crosby to get going. But they also need to make sure he doesn’t push himself too hard. They might need an army to prevent him from hurting himself even worse than he already has.
No Kolton Miller Highlights Offensive Line Problems
The offensive line has been a sore spot all season long. They had a good first week against Denver, and it’s been downhill ever since.
At times, the Raiders pass blocking has been good. Quarterbacks have had time to make their reads and get the ball out on time which is all you can ask for. It’s the run blocking where the Raiders offensive line has been brutal.
Josh Jacobs went from leading the league in rushing to having a rough go of things this season. Since then, he’s fought his way back into the top 5 for rushing yards this season. He’s found his stride but the majority of his runs feature him having to make defenders miss in the backfield just to get a yard or two. Sometimes he’s dodging multiple defenders just to get back to the line of scrimmage.
The offensive line needs Kolton Miller. It’s apparent how much they need him when you see them struggle to open up running lanes without him. The pass blocking also heavily suffers without him. He’s a solid left tackle and the best lineman the team has. His shoulder injury has been nagging him since the Jets game and against a solid Vikings pass rush, we’ll have to see how much of an impact his absence makes.
Danielle Hunter on the Vikings is having a monster season. He currently has 13.5 sacks this season. Without Miller, it’s going to be a struggle blocking against him on Sunday. It poses a massive problem in this week 14 preview. The Raiders need to address their offensive line depth in the offseason.
Prediction
Looking at this week 14 preview, I think this is an overall good matchup for the Raiders. I think both teams are relatively evenly matched. I like the talent on the Raiders offense more than the overall talent on the Vikings defense, but at the same time, Hunter poses a massive problem. I think he has a Khalil Mack-type of game on Sunday.
At the same time, I don’t trust Josh Dobbs to lead the Vikings to victory in this one. I think the Raiders defense forces a couple of turnovers. I see an ugly win, but a win nonetheless for the Silver and Black in this week 14 preview.
I see Aidan O’Connell taking a beating from Danielle Hunter. I also see him rising to the challenge in this week 14 preview and having another good game. His last game against Kansas City was statistically his best game so far this season. Look for him to build on that performance.
Every game from here on out is a playoff game for the Raiders. They need to win out to have a chance of making it. They’ve won too many games for a top 5 draft pick and a chance at one of the top quarterbacks in the draft like Jayden Daniels or Caleb Williams. For this season to not be a lost one, they need to play for their jobs in the future.
