Patriots Defense Faces Another Huge Tight End Test Against Raiders

How New England Stopped Kincaid

The New England Patriots evened their record at 2-2 on Sunday with an upset win. A big reason for the victory was how they handled Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid. Before the game, Kincaid led all NFL tight ends with 263 receiving yards, which included six plays of 20 yards or more. New England held him to just one catch for seven yards.

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel praised his defense for their awareness. He pointed to a play in the fourth quarter where linebacker Robert Spillane stopped Kincaid on a deep route, forcing an incomplete pass. Earlier in the game, safety Kevin Byard knocked away a pass to Kincaid on the Bills' third play. Later, linebacker Dre'Mont Jones jammed Kincaid at the line to disrupt another route. Vrabel said his team mixed zone and man coverage well and kept track of where Kincaid was on the field. The Patriots' defense may have also benefited from the Bills' plan, which limited Kincaid to 17 pass routes.

The Next Big Challenge

Now, the Patriots must prepare for the 3-1 Las Vegas Raiders, who visit Gillette Stadium this Sunday. The Raiders rely heavily on tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. Bowers has been historically productive. He has 192 career receptions, passing Jason Witten for the most catches by a tight end under the age of 24 in NFL history. Bowers also reached 2,000 career receiving yards in just 31 games, tying Kellen Winslow Sr. for the second fastest in league history behind Mike Ditka.

Vrabel knows his team has a tough task ahead. He called Bowers "as elite as they come at that position." The Patriots coaching staff started working on their game plan on Monday afternoon to figure out how to stop him.

What it means for the next game

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots (NFL, Sun, 11 Oct): New England Patriots win 62%, Las Vegas Raiders win 38%; projected score New England Patriots 25, Las Vegas Raiders 20. Our safest pick: Patriots to win.