It's time to look at this week's matchup versus the Bay Area rival, the 49ers. The 49ers come into this week a 7 point favorite even though they are sitting at 0-5 after a 27-24 loss to the Eagles. The Raiders come into this week fresh off a dramatic back-and-forth win versus the Chargers, breaking a 13-game losing streak against them.
Raiders Offense vs. 49ers Defense
The Raiders offense has really taken big steps this year. They currently rank in the top 14 in total offense (14th), rushing yards/game (7th), 1st downs/game (6th) and points/game (11th). This is an encouraging sign. Over the last several years, what has really held this team back was its offense. Now, they are moving the ball and giving the defense time to rest. The have progressively scored more points each game (13, 16, 23, 24, 35). Now its highly unlikely that they'll continue that trend this week, needing to score more than 35, but anything's possible. The 49ers have not looked very good at times this year, but what team hasn't this year. The 49ers are a middle-of-the-road defense currently ranked 16th in overall defense giving up 339 yards/game. They are 18th against the run at 111 yards/ game so this matches up well against what the Raiders want to do on offense. They also are one of the worst teams in points allowed, giving up 26 points/game.
Advantage: Raiders
Raiders Defense vs. 49ers Offense
The Raiders defense has been gashed in recent weeks dropping from 2nd overall to 23rd. Part of that was playing the number 1 offense in the Chargers and the number 6 offense in the Texans. The troubling thing is that they were burned in different ways, in the running game versus the Texans and the passing game versus the Chargers. The 49ers have a very good running back in Frank Gore and a very good TE in Vernon Davis. Where they struggle offensively is when Alex Smith has a bad day. He has been up and down this year, but mostly down. He has given up the most INT's this year (9) and has a QB Rating below 72. They were picked to win the division this year in a very weak division and they are playing at home looking for their first win, so they should be a hungry team.
Advantage: 49ers
Special Teams
Once again we have to compare the Special Teams. I haven't been wrong all year on this discussion and I don't think I will be this week either. The Raiders just have a superior Punter and Kicker than most teams in the league. They also blocked two punts for scores (a Safety and a TD) and returned the other punt for 45 yards. The 49ers probably have one of the few punters that compare to Lechler. It should be fun to watch these guys punt bombs (if they get the chance).
Prediction: Raiders 24, 49ers 20
No comments:
Post a Comment