The Raiders will most likely be underdogs for the rest of the season, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have a few good matchups along the way.
This week, the Cincinnati Bengals are 7-point favorites hosting the Raiders, but there’s a personnel matchup that has the potential to turn the game upside down.
Maxx Crosby is one of the most dynamic pass rushers in the league and he’ll be facing a Bengals offensive line in complete disarray, particularly on the side Crosby tends to line up. NFL insider Jeremy Fowler believes Crosby versus the Bengals’ offensive line will be one of the biggest mismatches of the week.
“We’ve got another mismatch in the trenches, and this one is a doozy,” Fowler noted in an ESPN Insider column on Saturday.
“Crosby usually lines up opposite the right tackle, so he will face rookie Amarius Mims on Sunday,” Fowler continued. “Mims has an 82% pass block win rate, which ranks 62nd out of 67 qualifiers. That’s in complete contrast to Orlando Brown Jr., who ranks first on the other side of the line. In addition to being a major pass-rush threat, Crosby is also a strong run defender. He ranks second in run stop win rate at edge, while Mims ranks 59th in run block win rate. This is a mismatch all around.”
The Bengals offense is loaded with playmakers, but if the Raiders can control the line of scrimmage on defense, Sunday’s game could be a lot closer than many are anticipating.
Of course, the Raiders also need to control the line of scrimmage on offense, as well, and that is something they have rarely been able to achieve all year.
