The Patriots have a big one this week in Las Vegas. It is a must win game for New England if they want to have any chance of turning this season around. 

The Patriots have been historically bad on offense but there is only so much you can do fix it. Simply putting together good drives and finishing them whether it is field goals or touchdowns is what this offense needs to focus on offensively right now.

Defensively, the Patriots need to find a way to juice up their pass rush. More pressure is the way to do it. The Patriots need to blitz more but also find a balance between pressure and supporting a banged up secondary. 

Here three things the Patriots need to do offensively and three things they need to do defensively to win today.

Offense

1. Have a package for Cunningham: With Malik Cunningham active, the Patriots need to utilize the package they have been working on with him. I would utilize Cunningham on a direct snap package where he runs on designed runs and read plays.

The Patriots need to find a way to get the offense going. Using Cunningham’s speed and athleticism might be the best way to do it.

2. Keep it simple on the ground- The Patriots need to keep it simple if they are going to get their ground game going. Double teams at the point of attack and angle block. The Raiders have some big bodies inside defensively so they will require double teams. Maxx Crosby is one of the most active defensive ends in the league. Blocking back on him and sealing him will help slow him down a bit and could slow him down as a pass rusher.

3. Slide protection and chip techniques in pass pro- The Patriots have to slide their protection to Crosby. From the uncovered lineman on, they must come across to the left and make sure that Trent Brown can handle him outside and when he comes inside, the left guard can take him. Getting the extra body on Crosby will be important so look for both running backs and tight ends alike to get a piece of him on the snap as well.

Defense

1. Play a 5 Man Box- The Raiders are 32nd in the NFL in rushing. If I were coordinating the Patriots defense, I would play a lighter box and focus more on coverage. Yes, Josh Jacobs is good but I would focus on Davante Adams and making sure he doesn’t beat us.

2. T-T Stunts Inside- The Patriots need to get interior pressure and force Jimmy G out of the pocket and get him on the run. Base pressure aside, the Patriots can use T-T stunts as a way to free up their defensive tackles and collapse the inside of the pocket.

3. Bracket Adams- The Patriots secondary is still banged up and will need help defending Davante Adams. They will have to bracket Adams in certain situations if they want to keep him in check. Shutting down Adams is hard to do unless you have an elite corner that can match him. The Patriots do not so bracket and banjo coverage ms depending on his alignment are a must.