Giants vs. Raiders: Preview, prediction, what to watch for

An inside look at Sunday’s Giants-Raiders NFL Week 9 matchup in Las Vegas, Nev.:

Marquee matchup

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby vs. Giants RT Evan Neal

With his next half-sack, Crosby becomes the 13th player in NFL history with seven or more sacks in each of his first five seasons. He is relentless. Neal should be available after missing the past two games with a sprained ankle.

“He’s a freak athlete,’’ Neal said of Crosby. “The thing that sticks out about him the most to me is his motor. He’s the definition of playing to the whistle. It’s definitely gonna be a great challenge, but it’s a challenge I’m up for, it’s a challenge the rest of the offensive line is up for. I’m excited for it.’’

If it is not Neal, it will be Tyree Phillips, who has played well filling in for Neal.

Paul’s pick

There is so much new with the Raiders, and there needs to be so much new with the way the Giants operate, especially on offense. The return of Daniel Jones and one or both of his starting tackles has to help, right? And Saquon Barkley should be able to find yards against the league’s 30th-ranked run defense. A heavyweight fight this ain’t.

Giants 24, Raiders 19

Four downs

Open book test: The good news for the Giants is the Raiders are in a state of upheaval. The bad news for the Giants is they have no idea how interim head coach Antonio Pierce will manage a game and cannot have any sense how newly promoted offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree will call a game — something he has never done before. The Raiders will not be able to change their entire offense in five days, but there will be new wrinkles and different emphasis applied. Best guess? There will be a heavy lean to getting running back Josh Jacobs the ball. Jacobs, the NFL’s leading rushing in 2022, is averaging just 3.1 yards per attempt.

Not the idea: Darius Slayton has played in many football games but never experienced what befell him in last week’s 13-10 overtime loss to the Jets. He was on the field for 74 of the 75 snaps on offense and was targeted for a pass two times. He had one catch for minus-1 yard. It was not the lack of productivity that was jarring, but the lack of, well, the lack of lining up and playing wide receiver, as the Giants attempted four passes after halftime.

“It’s definitely not a receivers’ dream,’’ Slayton said. “It was a good bit there where it was all blocking, and that’s part of the job. … When you’re 9 years old you don’t dream about bumping heads with a safety, but hey, if that’s what it takes to get the win, or to get the job done, you got to do what you got to do.’’

Who is that? A national television audience saw Jimmy Garoppolo look dreadful Monday night for the Raiders, and putting him on the bench means Aidan O’Connell, a rookie fourth-round draft pick from Purdue, will make his second NFL start. O’Connell went 24-of-39 for 238 yards and one interception in a 24-17 loss to the Chargers. O’Connell is something of a mystery man.

“He played a lot in the preseason, was one of the highest rated passers,’’ coach Brian Daboll said. “So, there is enough tape on him. Certainly, you make adjustments, but evaluate the tape and get ready to play.’’

Top of the heap: The last time we saw Davante Adams, he was slamming his helmet to the ground in frustration last week during a 26-14 loss in Detroit. Adams was targeted seven times and ended up with only one catch. He did not sign with the Raiders for this. No matter that there is a new play-caller and a new quarterback, Adams will be a focal point vs. the Giants, meaning it will be another challenging day for rookie cornerback Deonte Banks.

“I’ve said this before, he’s one of the top two receivers in the league, and he’s not number two,’’ defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said of Adams. “I think that guy, you can have three people on him, and he’ll still come up with the catch.’’