Rob Gronkowski vs. Charles Woodson
The 37-year-old Woodson is not the aforementioned uber-versatile abeyance weapon he was in his prime, but he charcoal the baton and best amateur of the Oakland secondary.
Pro Football Focus (subscription required) indicates Woodson has best off one canyon and has yet to acquiesce a accession of added than nine yards this season, which illustrates his admirable instincts in anchoring the aback end of the defense.
Though Woodson is added of a adrift centermost fielder than a absolute antagonism safety, the Raiders amount to adumbration their best arresting aback adjoin Gronkowski—particularly in the red zone.
Gronk has yet to buck a abounding workload or run a abounding avenue timberline aback his return, so alike with his admeasurement advantage, the Patriots bound end could accept a difficult time accepting accessible with a linebacker and Woodson bracketing him in the average of the field.
The Patriots were abundantly able to run the brawl in the red area aftermost week, a action they amount to alike because that the Raiders accept conceded bristles yards per backpack appropriately far.
Nevertheless, Gronkowski charcoal the blueprint of New England's red-zone offense, so apprehend Oakland to allot its top ability appear slowing bottomward Brady's go-to scoring target.
Chandler Jones vs. Donald Penn
Fresh off the best bold of his career, Jones faces a acceleration in antagonism adjoin the Oakland larboard tackle. Despite actuality a cap blow in Tampa Bay, Penn charcoal one of the league's steadiest all-around tackles, accepting accomplished a renaissance during the alpha of his Oakland tenure.
But the 6'5" Penn is not absolutely the lithest accouterment around, and can be affected to acceleration rushers like Jones.
While New England's third-year alfresco linebacker has formed to alter his arsenal, reverting to his trusted array of swims and rips should acquiesce him to about-face the bend and burden Derek Carr on a constant basis.
In reality, the Patriots amount to agitation the amateur quarterback mostly by blitzing, aback Carr has aggregate a alarming 4.2 QBR aback blitzed, according to SBNation.com's Levi Damien.
If the autogenous Oakland band and active backs charge assure adjoin A- and B-gap blitzes, Jones should accomplishment his abiding diet of one-on-ones with Penn.
Nate Solder vs. Khalil Mack
The fifth all-embracing aces in 2014 Mack has accomplished his acceptability as the best annihilative amateur apostle alfresco of Jadeveon Clowney.
The Raiders' "Sam" linebacker was a alarming chess allotment adjoin the Houston Texans aftermost week, as his bristles stops and two quarterback pressures fabricated him one of the few Raiders defenders to annals a absolute performance.
Mack generally serves as a de facto appropriate arresting end aback Oakland brings in sub-package personnel, acceptation that Nate Solder will see affluence of the Raiders' absorbing rookie.
Solder bounced aback from a asperous admission and gave up aloof a distinct burden adjoin Minnesota, admitting his extraordinary three-penalties-in-two-snaps amplitude attenuated some of that performance.
At his best, Solder possesses the ability to ballast and crabbed activity to slide-step as able-bodied as any accouterment in the league. That versatility is analytical adjoin addition like Mack, whose athleticism enables him to win through either ability or speed—even as he continues to advance a absolute pass-rushing apparatus kit.
If the Pats adjudge to accessible up the casual bold adjoin a mostly benign-looking Oakland canyon rush, Solder will be the lineman with the toughest assignment.
X-Factor: Jamie Collins
Collins will accept a difficult analysis in his acknowledgment to the lineup, as the Patriots' best advantage linebacker will acceptable bout up adjoin Raiders fullback Marcel Reece.
The 29-year-old defies positional categorization, for abundant like Miami's Charles Clay, he is a Swiss Army knife that the Raiders will band up in a array of positions.
Whether Reece is a fullback, bound end, halfback or aperture receiver, Collins abstracts to draw the assignment. Reece is not decidedly physically imposing, but his activity out of cuts threatens the average of the acreage and will force Collins to comedy with ascendancy discipline.
Oakland does accept some arresting ambit weapons, accent by James Jones and Rod Streater, but the accessory is New England's strength.
Last week, the Collins-less Patriots covered bound ends and halfbacks with bracket advantage amid linebackers and safeties. Adjoin a added appalling analysis in Reece, it will be absorbing to see if the Pats echo that action or agent sole responsibilities to Collins.