This week the Raiders face-off against AFC South leading Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville. The Raiders are coming off an impressive 28-13 road victory at San Diego, while the Jaguars are coming off a victory against the Titans. Let's take a look at the match-ups:
Raiders offense vs. Jaguars defense
The Raiders offense is 16th overall, third in rushing and 28th in passing. The offense relies heavily on the success of the running game. This is where the Jaguars and the Raiders are very similar. The Jaguars defense has not been too stout overall, ranking 25th; 17th against the run and 27th against the pass. This game will be won or lost in the trenches. If the Raiders are the ones to have success in the running game, they should be the victors. The Jaguars defense has been up and down all year. It'll be interesting to see which team shows up at noon.
Advantage: Raiders
Raiders defense vs. Jaguars offense
The Jaguars offense goes through their pocket Hercules - Maurice Jones-Drew. They currently rank second overall in rush offense, 17th overall and 29th in pass offense. They are almost an identical team on offense as the Raiders. They don't pass the ball very often, but when the running game is successful, the passing game is very effective. The Raiders on defense will have to contain Jones-Drew to force the Jaguars into third and long passing situations. The Raiders are 13th overall in defense; 23rd against the run and ninth against the pass. Jaguars should have the edge since it is a home game and they will force the run, something the Raiders have struggled at defending consistently.
Advantage: Jaguars
Special Teams
The Raiders have the advantage with the better field goal kicker and punter. Janikowski leads the AFC in scoring and Lechler leads the AFC in punt average gross and net. This game will most likely come down to which team runs the ball better, but a special teams mistake could loom large in a close match-up like this one.
Advantage: Raiders
Prediction: Jaguars 24, Raiders 21
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