In order for the Las Vegas Raiders to spring the upset on Sunday from Paycor Stadium, they will have to make Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow uncomfortable.
If the Raiders can force Burrow into a mistake or two, that’s even better.
As the Raiders ready for their 10 a.m. PT battle on the road against the Bengals, ESPN shared some final breakdowns for all of the NFL’s Week 9 matchups.
ESPN highlighted what it feels is one of the key matchups in the Raiders’ battle at the Bengals. Can Cincinnati stop Las Vegas defensive end Maxx Crosby from getting to Joe Burrow?
That’s a question every week, but ESPN made a strong case for why that could be an even bigger question for the Bengals.
We’ve got another mismatch in the trenches, and this one is a doozy. Crosby usually lines up opposite the right tackle, so he will face rookie Amarius Mims on Sunday. 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. – ESPN.
It sounds like a tailor-made opportunity for Crosby to illustrate to the NFL the game-wrecker that he is once more.
Crosby enters Week 9 with 26 tackles, 6.5 sacks and three passes defensed.
In his two career matchups against Burrow, Crosby has tallied nine tackles, three quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and one sack.
Crosby and the Raiders also saw the Bengals during Crosby’s rookie campaign in 2019. It was one of Crosby’s finest performances as he finished with with five tackles and four sacks.