On the beat: 5 questions with Raiders reporter Scott Bair

In this week’s edition of “On the Beat,” we check in with Scott Bair, who covers the Raiders for NBC Sports Bay Area and gives us some points of emphasis on what to expect Sunday afternoon from Oakland. Check him out on Twitter here.



1. Is this Raiders team ready to take the next step?

We haven’t seen anything this season to expect that they’re ready to challenge in the conference, or even the division. While they’ve put solid tape out there, especially in games against the Chiefs and Jets, among others, they have also laid some eggs. They’ve been inconsistent in too many areas behind quarterback Derek Carr.

2. Is there someone on the Raiders roster who isn’t a household name who we could be talking about by the time the ballgame is over?

I would say the rookie second-round pick Obi Melifonwu, a defensive back out of UConn. He was on IR the first half of the season, but is just now staring to get into the defensive flow. He was drafted to be a "tight-end eraser" because he has size and speed to keep up and defend an area of weakness for the Raiders. On Sunday, it’ll be hard to imagine he’ll be able to stop a player like Rob Gronkowski, but the Raiders are hoping he’ll at least be able to slow down the former All-Pro. In addition, there’s running back Jalen Richard, an undrafted free agent out of Southern Miss. He’s a complementary back behind Marshawn Lynch, but he has great speed. He’s a one-cut runner who can turn a small gain into a big play in a matter of moments. He’s done it before against tough competition, and he can strike again.

3. What is the biggest weakness on the Raiders’ offense you expect the Patriots to try and exploit?

This season, Derek Carr has been a bit more conservative when it comes to getting rid of the football early. He’s been unwilling to let plays develop downfield. If the Patriots can get pressure on him, especially on the right side against tackle Marshall Newhouse, they could force Carr into some poor decisions and create some turnovers.

4. What’s the biggest weakness on the Raiders’ defense you expect the Patriots to try and exploit?

They have problems right up the middle. Navarro Bowman is not the same player he was a couple of years ago, especially in coverage. They struggle to cover tight ends and running backs, and those short passes over the middle can often go for long plays. In addition, they are operating with a skeleton crew in the secondary that includes veteran Sean Smith, who is vulnerable against speedy receivers. That includes one play last year against the Saints where Brandin Cooks beat him for a long touchdown pass. Oakland can’t let that happen again.

5. The Raiders win Sunday if…

They conjure the 2016 Raiders. Last year, they were excellent at taking the football away and creating fourth-quarter magic with Carr. This year, they’ve struggled in both areas — they only have six takeaways and zero interceptions, and Carr hasn’t been same fourth-quarter presence this year as he was last year. They need to match Tom Brady score for score, force turnovers, and be the team that scores the deciding touchdown with something close to zeros left on the clock.

Scott’s Pick

I expect the Raiders off to wake up coming out of bye week and match the Patriots score-for-score early, but I have a tough time imagining that they’ll be able to match the sort of consistent scoring opportunities you need to hit when you face Brady. The Raiders will wear down, and that will ultimately cost them the game.

Patriots 38, Raiders 28