In the coming days, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels will answer a ton of questions about what he’s learned from head coach Bill Belichick while serving as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator. Behind the scenes, McDaniels and his staff will likely spend countless hours on a game plan to protect quarterback Derek Carr.
On Monday, the Patriots’ defense swarmed quarterback Colt McCoy after he took over for Kyler Murray, who left the game on a cart with a knee injury early in the first quarter. New England recorded nine quarterback hits, six sacks and six tackles for loss with edge-rushers Matt Judon and Josh Uche leading the charge.
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Matt Judon, Josh Uche put the league on notice
Judon and Uche have become a dynamic pass-rushing duo, becoming the first teammates to record double-digit sacks in the NFL this season. They’ll command a lot of attention at the line of scrimmage.
Judon spoke highly of Uche to reporters after a 27-13 win over the Cardinals.
“People are gong to have to block him. If they don’t and they choose my side and they worry about me, Uche will do that every week. I love the way he’s playing with confidence and poise. … We all knew it. We all knew what type of player he was.”
Matthew Judon on New England Patriots’ teammate Josh Uche
Las Vegas may need to shuffle offensive line personnel
Last Thursday, against the Los Angeles Rams, the Raiders struggled with pass protection, particularly at the guard spots. Rookie third-rounder Dylan Parham and John Simpson, who replaced Alex Bars (knee) in the first quarter, allowed six pressures and three quarterback hits combined, per Pro Football Focus.
On the following day, Vegas waived Simpson and signed Hroniss Grasu to the active roster. The latter has logged most of his career snaps at center but lined up at left guard (80 snaps) with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2018 season.
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If Bars isn’t ready for action on Sunday, the Raiders would have to shuffle their offensive line with Grasu as a potential fill-in starter at right guard. McDaniels can also shift Jermaine Eluemunor into that vacancy if he’s healthy enough to take the field after playing through an oblique injury last week. In the second scenario, rookie seventh-rounder Thayer Munford Jr. would likely slide into the right tackle spot.
Interior pass-protecting issues could prove costly
Regardless of the Raiders’ offensive line combination, they must look out for stunts and loops with Judon and Uche on the pass-rushing prowl. Even with Bars healthy, Vegas had a clear weakness on the interior of its offensive line.
Per PFF, Parham has allowed the most pressures (40) and hurries (30), and he’s tied with Bars for most quarterback hits allowed (seven) on the team.
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As a rookie, Parham has time to grow into his starting role after a rocky rookie campaign. The Raiders chose to insert Bars into the starting lineup in place of Simpson in Week 3, but that move didn’t provide much of an upgrade.
Now, the Raiders may turn to Grasu, who hasn’t played guard in four seasons as a backup plan if Bars needs more time to recover from a knee injury. Eluemunor, who has far more experience at guard, seems like a better option if available.
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In the event that Eluemunor moves inside, Munford, who split snaps at right tackle with the veteran offensive lineman early in the season, would have a tough task in blocking an aggressive pass-rushing trio with Judon (14.5 sacks), Uche (10 sacks) and Deatrich Wise Jr. (6.5 sacks) wreaking havoc on offensive lines.
Possible counters to Patriots’ aggressive pass rush
To counter the Patriots’ pass rush, the Raiders can resort to the quick passing game with more targets for their running backs or increase the use of an inline tight end (sixth offensive lineman) to give Carr enough time for deep shots downfield or to create lanes for Josh Jacobs.
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At this point in the season, the Raiders offensive line group seems a bit thin with Bars’ uncertain status and the decision to waive Simpson. Keep in mind that Grasu hasn’t played a regular-season snap since the 2020 campaign when he lined up at center for the San Francisco 49ers.
Without another addition to the offensive line unit as of Tuesday, the Raiders must feel good about Eluemunor’s condition after he finished last week’s game on the field.
Nonetheless, with the inexperience and possible patchwork needed at guard, McDaniels must put together a good game plan to keep Judon out of the interior gaps on loops. He’s had an extraordinary season as the co-leader of the league with Nick Bosa in sacks.
Don’t be surprised if McDaniels goes a bit conservative to protect Carr if the offensive line loses early battles to the Patriots in the trenches.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.