3 things to know about the Raiders

Derek Carr. Photo from WEEI.com

I think most of us are looking at Sunday's match up with the Oakland Raiders as an easy victory for the Patriots. The Raiders are consistently one of the worst teams in the NFL, but the Patriots can't get lulled into a false sense of security, lest they fall into the trap and drop a game they should win. Here are 3 things to know against the Raiders this weekend:

1.) The Raiders pass defense has been good: The Raiders are currently ranked 2nd in the league at 164.5 opponent yards per game, this is one area the Pats could have some trouble this Sunday. Especially with a passing attack that has looked so-so at best through 2 games this season. Tom Brady has thrown for less than 400 yards (398 to be exact) this season and only 2 TD's. That will have to get better if the Pats hope to be successful on Sunday. In the meantime, the Patriots would be wise to adopt a run-first strategy against the Raiders, who are averaging 200 yards against the run so far, good for dead last in the league.

2.) Derek Carr has potential: Derek Carr has put up 414 passing yards and 3 touchdowns so far this season. He also put up 58 rushing yards against the Houston Texans last week, so the Patriots should be on their guard when planning for him. However, Derek Carr also has 2 interceptions to go along with his 3 touchdowns, both of which came last week against Houston. That is something fans should be on the lookout for, as the Patriots have have interceptions so far this year, 4 of which came against the Vikings' Matt Cassel last week. And Bill Belichick hasn't been nice to rookie quarterbacks - he's 14-5 against rookies, and unbeaten at home, according to WEEI.

3.) The Raiders can't rush the ball: The Raiders are 31st in the league in rushing, averaging 63.0 yards a game so far, so the Patriots can expect a pass-heavy attack. That would favor the Patriots, who had 4 interceptions last week, as I mentioned above, but the Patriots are ranked 20th against the run, so the Raiders might find some holes to exploit against the Pats. But then again, maybe not. Derek Carr is the leading rusher on the Raiders, which is a sad statement in and of itself - it tells me that the Raiders running game is non-existent. If the Patriots do have any holes this Sunday, Oakland probably doesn't have anyone good enough to exploit them.

Thoughts? Let me know on Twitter (@C_Frederick1016) or leave a comment. All stats from ESPN.com.