The Las Vegas Raiders will begin their 2025 campaign against the New England Patriots in Sunday’s Week 1 matchup. Pete Carroll’s defense, with assistance from coordinator Patrick Graham, will be tasked with slowing down Drake Maye and Josh McDaniels’ offense. We’ve identified three potential X-factors for the Raiders on defense who could help tip the matchup in their favor.
Tyree Wilson, DL
The Patriots have two rookies listed as starters on the offensive line in Will Campbell and Jared Wilson. Tyree Wilson was consistently impressive throughout training camp and the preseason. Wilson should get opportunities to align both inside and outside against the Patriots.
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Kyu Blu Kelly, CB
Kyu Blu Kelly is listed as a starting cornerback on the Week 1 depth chart. Blu Kelly will start opposite Eric Stokes on the boundary, with rookie corner Darien Porter occasionally rotating it. The veteran journeyman had an outstanding training camp, and he was rewarded with an opportunity to start versus the Patriots.
Malcolm Koonce, EDGE
The aforementioned Campbell will be making his NFL debut. New England’s right tackle is the 34-year-old Morgan Moses. Malcolm Koonce needs to take advantage of those potentially advantageous matchups to create pressure around Maye in the backfield. Koonce is a massive X-factor for Carroll’s defense this season, and that starts this Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: 3 potential X-factors on Raiders defense vs. Patriots in Week 1