The New England Patriots (7-6) visit the Las Vegas Raiders (5-8) on Sunday night (4:05pm).

With a win over the moribund Arizona Cardinals, the Patriots cling to the 7th seed in the AFC. It’s good enough for now to be in the mix for a wildcard berth to the playoffs. The next four games, however, include some tough matchups like the Bengals, Dolphins, and Bills. The Raiders are the first and easiest of the remaining games. If the Patriots can’t pull out a win in Las Vegas, we might be looking at a 4-game skid to end the year and definitely no playoffs.

Can the Patriots win against the Raiders this week? We’re talking about a New England squad that’s so bad it’s getting “flexed out” from its original Sunday night showcase slot.

Blame some of that on the Raiders though. The Las Vegas team is a mess and major changes are looming in the offseason. But there’s enough talent in the coaching and player ranks to pull out a win on any given Sunday. Especially against a Patriots squad that’s dealing with injuries and its own inconsistent performance issues this season.

Last week’s action

The New England Patriots beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-13 in a game that was almost as painful to watch as it was to play.

The game changing moment came early when Cardinals QB Kyler Murray went down on the first-drive with a non-contact injury. The fleet-footed quarterback was scrambling for yards when he collapsed mid-stride before a closing Matt Judon could make a tackle. It looked bad right away. Early reports suggest it’s a season-ending ACL tear.

If only the injuries ended there. The Patriots – already without RB Damien Harris, CB Jalen Mills, WR Jakobi Meyers, and OT Isaiah Wynn – lost WR Devante Parker, CB Jack Jones, and RB Rhamondre Stevenson by the end of the game.

What remained were two offenses, which already struggled to score, struggling some more. One silver lining: Patriots rookie RBs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. made productive use of their extra snaps, piling up 96 yards and two touchdowns.”

Cardinals backup QB Colt McCoy provided serviceable fill-in play, moving the ball up the field. Credit the Patriots defense for bending, but not breaking and not giving up scores as New England held Arizona scoreless in the second half. A forced-fumble (credit Kyle Duggar) and recovery for a touchdown (credit Raekwon McMillan) produced some highlight reel material.

What we’re wondering

Is Mac Jones…OK?

Is “Mac Jones screaming angrily about the offensive play calling on the sidelines” the new normal? What has been a more or less local news item regarding tension between the sophomore quarterback and inexperienced offensive coordinator Matt Patricia became national news when ESPN Monday Night Football spotlighted it in its pre-game coverage.

When asked about Mac Jones’ flare-ups on Tuesday, Patricia remarked: 

“You love to see that stuff. You always try to make sure you direct it in a way that will help everyone in those moments get better. That’s the biggest part of it, as a coach.”

So everything is…OK?

A charitable interpretation of the dynamic is that Mac Jones is firing up his teammates like a platoon commander revving up his troops right before battle. A less charitable interpretation says that the most important offensive player on the field is trying to publicly distance himself from responsibility for an offense that can’t score enough points consistently. 

What we’re watching for

Look at those rookies run!

Rookie RBs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. looked explosive in fill-in duty for the injured Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. We’re still waiting to hear about possible return dates for the latter pair.

In the meantime, the rookies have a chance to make their mark. New England fans would love to see more repeat performances of Pierre Strong Jr.’s 44-yard burner. The back cut left, turned the corner on an over-eager defense, and sprinted along the sideline for the longest run of the night.

Can the Patriots secondary handle all-NFL WR Davante Adams?

New England has not been able to quiet the roar of mega-talented receivers. It got blown up by the likes of VIkings WR Justin Jefferson. To be fair, JJ puts up good numbers everywhere. But to stay competitive against the Raiders, the Patriots will have to piece together enough coverage from its injury-depleted core to limit Adams to a good game, rather than a great game.

For Boston Fans

WATCH: NBC / NBC Boston

LISTEN: 98.5 The Sports Hub

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