After falling on the road to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Oakland Raiders are looking to get back in the win column Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings at home at O.co Coliseum.
Sitting at 4-4, the Silver and Black are looking to creep over .500 once again, so heading into their Week 10 clash with the Vikings, let's double-check our matchups of the week, brought to you by State Farm.
Raiders Defense vs. Running Back Adrian Peterson
Both Head Coach Jack Del Rio and quarterback Derek Carr have said that everything the Vikings do offensively begins with their All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, and they're absolutely right.
Through eight games, Peterson leads the NFL in rushing with 758 yards and has also added 4 touchdowns to boot.
"Despite the weapons and Teddy [Bridgewater], I think it still starts with Adrian Peterson," said Head Coach Del Rio Wednesday. "The guy is No. 1 in the league in rushing – very explosive player. Certainly having him back adds a really talented player to the mix."
Shutting down, or at least limiting, the three-time First-Team All-Pro running back is no easy task, and in order for the Raiders defense to make his life difficult it will require all three levels of the defense to be keyed in on him.
Last week in Pittsburgh, the Silver and Black gave up 195 yards on the ground to the Steelers, and a return to their typically-stout run defense this weekend would go a long way to securing a home win for the Silver and Black.
Quarterback Derek Carr vs. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater
Carr and Bridgewater were selected just four slots apart in the 2014 NFL Draft, and as such, their careers as starting quarterbacks in the league will forever be connected.
Heading into their Week 10 showdown in Oakland, Carr and Bridgewater are the men under center for their respective teams and have both taken steps forward in their sophomore campaigns.
Carr has amassed 2,094 yards through the air compared to Bridgewater's 1,670 and while there is a discrepancy in their total passing touchdowns (Carr has 13 more than Bridgewater) both quarterbacks are completing above 60 percent of their pass attempts.
The Raiders offense has been firing on all cylinders over the past several weeks, so seeing Carr go toe-to-toe with Bridgewater will be an interesting battle to keep an eye on.
Cornerback David Amerson vs. Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs
Although he's only played in five games, rookie wide out Stefon Diggs already leads the Vikings with 441 receiving yards and 28 receptions.
He's also shown that he has big-play ability, as he's already tallied two 100-yard receiving games through the first half of his rookie season.
Cornerback David Amerson will presumably get the first shot at Diggs Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum, in a matchup he and the entirety of the Raiders secondary will want to win, especially considering last week's result in Pittsburgh.
Adrian Peterson will presumably get his yards, but if the Raiders were able to limit Diggs' production, on the outside, particularly his yards after the catch it would go a long way in securing a win for the Silver and Black.
