New Orleans Saints

Matchups to Watch: Oakland Raiders vs. New Orleans Saints

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Aug 12, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oakland Raiders safety Karl Joseph (42) talks with defensive back Reggie Nelson (27) and outside linebacker Malcolm Smith (53) during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Raiders kickoff their regular season on the road against the New Orleans Saints. Here are five matchups to pay close attention to.

The Raiders obviously want to get their season started with a win. They’ll have their hands full with a talented Saints team on the opposing sideline. If they want to win, they’ll have to win the following matchups.

Reggie Nelson vs. Drew Brees

To the surprise of some fans, Reggie Nelson was named a Team Captain. Head coach Jack Del Rio announced that the team had voted to select the veteran safety as one of two defensive captains, along with superstar pass rusher Khalil Mack.

Nelson’s selection speaks volumes of his character and value as a leader to the defense. The team will need it this in the season opener against Drew Brees and the Saints.

Brees has been an institution in the NFL for over a decade and a half. In his time in the NFL he has broken multiple records including, single-season completions and completion percentage. Over the last decade, Brees has made the Saints a perennial contender despite roster turnover.

He will likely one day have a bronze bust residing in Canton. It will be Reggie Nelson’s job to stifle Brees and the Saints passing game.

Nelson is no slouch either, being named Second-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler last season.

Nelson recorded eight interceptions, which led the NFL. Nelson’s most important attribute in slowing down Brees however may not come as an athlete — it will likely come instead as a leader to a completely reworked secondary.

This offseason, the Raiders added Nelson along with rookie safety Karl Joseph and free agent cornerback Sean Smith. All three new additions will see significant snaps throughout the season and it will be crucial for Nelson to prepare the group to face one of the most productive QB’s in league history.

We can only hope to see plays like this on Sunday from Nelson.

Dec 24, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) carries the ball against San Diego Chargers outside linebacker Melvin Ingram (54) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Latavius Murray vs. Stephone Anthony

Saints linebacker Stephone Anthony showed the coaching staff some skills in his rookie season that they hope to expand on. He is athletic and moves well, displaying impressive lateral agility.

Unfortunately for Anthony, the coaching staff has decided that they would prefer veteran LB James Laurinaitis manning the MLB position, so Anthony must now play on the strong side. He may see less snaps playing “SAM” but in many ways it is a good fit, and Anthony has the talent to carve out a nice niche for himself.

Raiders running back Latavius Murray also had a “rookie year” of sorts last season. Although it was his second active season in the league, he only started seeing significant carries last season.

Although it may have been considered a successful campaign by some (over 1,000 yards and a Pro Bowl appearance) it left a lot to be desired from Raider fans and coaches. Most RB’s in the NFL do not get the same opportunities as Murray in terms of volume of carries. Latavius is one of only a few lead backs in the NFL but he hasn’t produced like one.

Murray needs to separate himself this season to show he can lead a team on his own. With a phenomenal offensive line and a talented overall offense, there is no excuse for Murray not to produce this season.

Anthony and Murray will no doubt face off a couple of times on Sunday, and they both need to start fast. Murray should be feeling pressure from rookie RB DeAndre Washington who has shown an impressive and intriguing skill-set.

Anthony needs to show that he deserves more snaps, notably on nickel packages in place of Laurinaitis. The success of each will be crucial to the outcome of Sunday’s contest.

Sep 21, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; Oakland Raiders tackle Donald Penn (72) during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Donald Penn vs. Cameron Jordan

Cameron Jordan is one of the more underrated members of the Saints defense. At times dominant, Jordan is a quality run defender and pass rusher. Jordan is a defensive leader of sorts and was one of only 16 players to record at least 10 sacks last season.

For the last couple of seasons, Jordan has been the only legitimate pass rushing threat on the Saints roster, but not anymore. This offseason the Saints added veteran edge rusher Paul Kruger and pass rushing DT Nick Fairley. With some of the pressure taken off of Jordan as a pass rusher, expect to see him to face several one-on-one situations with Raiders veteran LT Donald Penn.

Donald Penn has really hit his stride towards the end of his career with the Raiders. The mountain of a man looks more road grader than finessed pass blocker, but don’t let his frame fool you. Donald Penn is one of the most well rounded LT’s in the league.

Throughout Reggie Mackenzie’s tenure as GM of the Raiders, the team has assembled one of the best offensive lines in the league and Donald Penn is a big reason for that. His acumen as a pass blocker and physicality on combo blocks has helped keep Derek Carr’s jersey stay relatively clean.

With Jordan recovering from a back injury and Donald Penn entering the twilight years of his career this may not be the same matchup it may have been a couple of seasons ago, but it will be just as crucial as ever in determining the outcome of the game.

Penn needs to create movement at the line of scrimmage to open up holes for Murray and display good footwork to neutralize Jordan around the edge to protect Carr. Expect the Raiders o-line as a whole to have the upper hand against the Saints front seven, but the individual matchup between Jordan and Penn should be fun to watch.

December 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack (52) during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Bills 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Khalil Mack vs. Terron Armstead

This offseason the Saints invested big in their athletic freak of a LT Terron Armstead, signing him to a five-year, $65M contract extension.

Armstead caught the attention of scouts and coaches at the 2013 NFL Combine. The small school prospect from Arkansas-Pine Bluff of all places annihilated nearly every drill and test thrown at him and was ultimately selected in the third round. The selection has paid off big time for the Saints as Armstead has done something that many athletes struggle with, and that is translating athletic talent to the football field.

As such, Armstead was compensated as one of the premiere tackles in the NFL.

Khalil Mack is a similar story — an athletic freak from a small school (Buffalo) that came into the league with a high level of success.

The difference, of course, being that Mack was a top-five NFL draft pick and has played like it since day one. Mack was second in the NFL in sacks last season and has elevated himself to superstar status in league circles.

Mack, after finishing his second year, is already an elite run defender and pass rusher and will likely be in the discussion for NFL defensive player of the year barring a catastrophe of some sort.

Armstead and Mack are two of the better young athletes and football players in the league but ultimately it will be tough for anyone to slow down Khalil Mack this season. Armstead is recovering from a minor injury and Mack appears to be in the best shape of his life.

Luckily for Armstead, his quarterback has one of the fastest releases of any QB in the league, because I expect Mack to produce pressure early and often.

Aug 12, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oakland Raiders linebacker Malcolm Smith (53) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Malcolm Smith vs. Coby Fleener

The Saints signed Coby Fleener this offseason with the hope that he will be able to be the most productive TE that the team has had since Jimmy Graham.

Fleener’s chemistry with Andrew Luck will be tough for Brees to duplicate, but his talent is undeniable. He will likely be an improvement over Ben Watson from last season simply due to youth and the volume of targets he should expect.

Brees loves a young athletic TE that can go up and bring down the football so Fleener’s stats should see a significant boost.

Malcolm Smith has earned his starting role as the weakside linebacker after being in a LB competition of sorts. With the versatility of the Raiders’ defense, look for Smith to see snaps all over the defense, including ILB.

Smith is an athletic LB that is a good fit in the pass happy league that the NFL is evolving into. Smith will likely be in one-on-one coverage often with Fleener due to the height advantage that Fleener would have on safety Karl Joseph and the strength advantage that Fleener would have over safety Nate Allen.

Last season the Raider’s achilles heel was covering TE’s. The team never really found a way to stop TE’s around the league. Malcolm Smith and the other LB’s lacked the fluidity and the safeties lacked the size to cover them.

Smith will have to figure out quickly how to use his athletic ability to his advantage or the Raiders could find themselves in a hole early. Fleener may represent the biggest threat to a Raider victory on Sunday and it will be up to Malcolm to figure out how to leave the TE problem in 2015.