The Oakland Raiders face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10 action at O.co Coliseum in Oakland. After last week's 38-35 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh, several questions have cropped up the Raiders thought they answered. Raiders.com Senior Editor Jerry Knaak has five.
1. Will the Raiders be able to slow down Adrian Peterson?
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson seems to back to All-Pro form after missing the better part of the past few seasons due to injury and off the field issues. He currently leads the NFL in rushing with 758 yards on the ground. The Raiders allowed Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams to run for 170 yards last week after improving to No. 2 in the NFL in rush defense. After shutting down the New York Jets vaunted rushing attack, the Raiders cracked last week. Can they shore it up this week?
2. Will the Raiders be able to run the ball against the Vikings?
Led by Linval Joseph, the Vikings defense is pretty stout. Raiders running back Latavius Murray probably would have cracked 100 yards rushing last week had he not suffered a concussion. He is listed as probable for this week and he is the 6th in the NFL in rushing, while the Vikings give up 111 yards per game on the ground.
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Photos from the Raiders vs Vikings all-time series.
- Can the Raiders keep scoring 30 points per game? **
The Raiders have scored 30 points in their last three games in a row, however the Vikings are 2nd in the NFL in scoring defense allowing just 17.5 points per game. They are ranked 6th in the NFL in passing defense allowing just 220 yards per game. The Raiders bring the 8th best offense in the NFL to bear.
4. Can the Raiders contain Stefon Diggs?
Last week the Raiders allowed Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown 17 catches for 284 yards last week. Diggs is averaging 16.5 yards for catch and leads the Vikings with 461 yards receiving. The Raiders will have to cover top down and tackle in the open field to prevent yards after the catch, and to keep Diggs from going downtown. The Vikings also have speedy Mike Wallace to help stretch the field.
5. Will the Raiders pass rush improve?
After getting off to a slow start, the Raiders recorded 10 sacks in three games. They sacked Jets quarterback Geno Smith three times in the win over New York a few weeks ago. However, the Raiders only have 15 for the season. They only got to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger once last week. Defensive end Khalil Mack leads the team with four, but two of those came in one game. The Vikings have allowed 21 sacks on the season.
