Patriots staying out west for their game versus Raiders
The New England Patriots won in week 14. They will stay out west in preparation for their week 15 game versus the Las Vegas Raiders. Each remaining game is shaping up to be more important than the last. The team is staying out west after their 14 point win versus the Arizona Cardinals.
The game saw a handful of players leave with injury, including Rhamondre Stevenson, DeVante Parker, and Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray. At the end of the day, the offense heated up a bit in the second half and the defense was able to score a touchdown.
Now, the 7-6 Pats sit in the seventh seed in the AFC playoff race, tied with the Chargers and Jets at that record.
After tonight’s win over the Cardinals, the Patriots will stay out west and spend the rest of the week in Arizona, before traveling to Las Vegas to play Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 13, 2022
This game means a lot for a couple reasons. Besides playoff seeding, the obvious reason is because of the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach, Josh McDaniels. McDaniels has had an up and down season this year in his second stint as a head coach.
Overall, though, the Raiders are simply not playing like they did last year when they went 10-7 and clinched a playoff spot. They made moves for Davante Adams and Chandler Jones in the offseason, but none of those moves have helped them win more games.
The big challenge for the Patriots in this matchup will be containing Davante Adams. New England’s secondary is a bit banged up, so Adams has a chance to feast like he normally does. The pass rush led by Matthew Judon should be able to go home to Derek Carr, who has been shaky this year.
Staying out west is a smart move as it allows the team to get used to west coast time before next week’s game. It also prevents any sort of jet-lag that the players could suffer. Being the seventh seed in the AFC playoff race, New England needs to approach each of their remaining games as must-win.