The Los Angeles Rams have been the NFL's most efficient fourth-quarter offense this season, which is bad news for a Las Vegas Raiders team that keeps letting games slip away late. If Sunday's game is close in the final minutes, history isn't on the Raiders' side.
The best way to avoid that is to win the individual battles before the fourth quarter arrives. Here are the four that should decide this one.
Matthew Stafford vs. the Raiders' secondary
Nobody in the league has thrown more passes, completed more passes, or piled up more passing yards than Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who sits at 249 attempts, 164 completions, and 1,794 yards. The Raiders' defensive backs should expect a busy afternoon. The Rams also love to move players before the snap, and they have been successful on 52.6% of pass attempts with motion since the start of last season, third-best in the league.
The Raiders have allowed a 53.0% success rate against passes with motion over that same stretch, fourth-worst in the NFL. Raiders cornerback Taron Johnson and the rest of the secondary have to communicate before every snap, or Stafford will pick them apart.
Maxx Crosby vs. the Rams' protection
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has two sacks this season, a quiet number for a player who has reached at least seven sacks in every season of his career. He needs five more to make it eight straight years, which would make him one of only nine players since 1982 to reach seven sacks in each of his first eight seasons.
Stafford's volume gives him a lot of chances, and Crosby sounded ready for the chase when the team mic'd him up against Buffalo.
"You can't escape me!" Crosby told QB Josh Allen during the Bills game.
The Raiders' run game vs. a banged up Rams front
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak was asked Wednesday how the Raiders plan to take advantage of the Rams' injuries on the defensive line, and he wanted no part of it.
"We're just worried about ourselves, just worried about ourselves," Kubiak said.
He has reason to stay humble. The Raiders have been successful on just 31.5% of rush attempts with motion since last season, the worst rate in the NFL, and the Rams allow a league-best 36.1% success rate against those plays. Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty needs 424 rushing yards to pass former Raiders running back Marcus Allen for the second-most by a Raider in his first two seasons, and he will need the Raiders to find a simpler way to run the ball to get there.
Klint Kubiak vs. Sean McVay in the fourth quarter
The Rams have run successful plays on 59% of their fourth-quarter snaps this season, the best mark in the NFL, while the league average sits at 43%. The Raiders, meanwhile, are 1-4 since the start of last season when they are within seven points at the two-minute warning, third-worst in the league.
Kubiak has to win this one before it starts, because a tight game in the final quarter favors the coach on the other sideline.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: 4 key matchups for Raiders vs. Rams Week 7