The Matchup That Will Decide Raiders vs. Patriots

Individual Matchup to Watch

Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus believes Maxx Crosby's matchup against Patriots offensive lineman William Campbell will be one of the top individual matchups of any of Sunday's game. Campbell is not fully healthy, but Crosby is. Campbell is also a rookie.

"Raiders-Patriots can get buried on a long list of alluring games, but it could be a deciding affair in the eventual AFC wild-card race. As these two revamped squads duke it out, keep a particular eye on the trenches when New England has the ball," Locker said.

"Crosby played only 766 snaps in 2024 due to an ankle injury, although he wasn’t quite as dominant as we’ve come to expect. His 70.1 PFF pass-rushing grade and 74.3 overall PFF grade were each his lowest in four years. On the other hand, New England is bullish about Campbell, the fourth overall pick who secured an 86.2 overall PFF grade during the preseason.

Locker noted that lining up a rookie against Crosby will be an interesting move, although the Patriots do not have much of a choice. Crosby has routinely given Raiders rookies their respective right of passages in the past. He looks to do so against New England.

"Any rookie’s inaugural game will prove to be a test, and that’s especially the case for Campbell against a longtime star in Crosby," Locker said.

"Will the LSU product hold up enough to keep Drake Maye clean, or will the Raiders phenom welcome the touted rookie to the NFL?"

Following training camp, Crosby noted how seriously he takes his role as the leader of the team and the face of the franchise.

“Yeah, obviously being a leader is just part of who I am and part of my evolution as a player. I want to get better in every way I can. I will push myself just like I push my teammates. I'd never ask somebody to do something I wouldn't do, and that's the way I live and how I operate. And Coach Carroll has done it at the highest level. He's won a national championship, won a Super Bowl,” Crosby said.

“For me, I'm just trying to absorb as much information from him and learn from him, because he's been around so many great players. And everybody I've talked to, Marshawn [Lynch] to Richard Sherman, all those guys, like they speak the world of him. And those are guys I looked up to coming up in this game. So yeah man, it's been an awesome experience so far. So, I'm just like I said, soaking up information and really just trying to learn from him and relay that message."