Heading into the Oakland Raiders Week 10 clash with the Minnesota Vikings at O.co Coliseum, Raiders.com highlighted three matchups that would be critical in the end result of Sunday's game.
The Silver and Black lost the game 30-14, dropping their record to 4-5, so let's take a look back and review how those matchups played out.
Raiders Defense vs. Running Back Adrian Peterson
It was a tale of two halves for the Raiders defense against Peterson Sunday afternoon at O.co Coliseum.
At the end of the first half, Peterson had rushed for 49 yards on 12 attempts, and outside of one 17-yard scamper, had been held mostly in check by the Raiders defensive front.
However, after halftime the All-Pro running back really got rolling, racking up 154 yards on the ground and effectively running out the clock on a Raiders comeback attempt.
The true backbreaker came right before the two-minute warning as Peterson went over right guard and took the football 80 yards to the house to ultimately secure the win for the Vikings.
When all was said and done, Peterson had rushed for 203 yards and 1 touchdown.
Quarterback Derek Carr vs. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater
Statistically, Bridgewater wasn't spectacular Sunday, throwing for just 140 yards and 1 touchdown, but he took care of the football and put his team in a position to win the game.
Although he was sacked 4 times by the Raiders defense, he also flashed his unique ability to avoid pressure, taking off and running the ball 2 times for 23 yards.
On the other side of the ball, Carr eclipsed the 300-yard mark for the third consecutive week, ending the day completing 29 of 42 attempts for 302 yards.
However, the young gunslinger also threw 2 interceptions – the most he has thrown in a game this season.
Bridgewater and Carr were selected just four slots apart in the 2014 NFL Draft and as such their careers will be constantly compared, and since his team came away with the win Sunday, you have to give the advantage, at least for a day, to Bridgewater.
Cornerback David Amerson vs. Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs
With the return of safety Nate Allen, TJ Carrie moved back to his natural position of cornerback.
Amerson only played 22 snaps, with Head Coach Jack Del Rio electing to go with Carrie and DJ Hayden as his starting cornerbacks.
That being said, the Raiders secondary contained Diggs most of the day, as he finished the contest with just 2 catches for 46 yards. However, one of his pair of catches did go for 37 yards and set up a Vikings field goal.
