Raiders vs. Chiefs Predictions

It's that time of year again (and probably fittingly when many people in the U.S. will be dressed up in costumes) when the Raiders face the Chiefs. The Raiders come into the game at 2-4, fresh off a comeback win versus the Jaguars at home.  The Chiefs, on the other hand, come in at 1-5 and fresh off a bye week when they declared they were going through a quarterback change in Brady Quinn.  Both  teams will try to stay in the tightly packed AFC West race with a win and hopes of gaining momentum for the stretch run.  Let's take a look at the matchups and declare a winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Chiefs Defense

I will probably sound like a broken record here but the key to the Raiders' success on offense will be Darren McFadden having success running the ball.  Running the ball opens up so much more of the passing game.  The Chiefs will have the support of the crowd from a renewed fan base.  They will be excited about the prospect of having anyone other than Cassel at QB and of course it being "Raiders Week."  The Chiefs also have a pretty good pass rush in Justin Houston and Tamba Hali.  Expect the Raiders to try more of the no-huddle offense as it led to success in their only wins this season in Pittsburgh and Jacksonville. (If the crowd noise will allow it)

Advantage: Raiders

Raiders Defense vs. Chiefs Offense

The Raiders have now had 2 impressive showings on defense in back-to-back games.  Let's see if that trend continues against a team who recently gave up on their starting QB.  Look for the Chiefs to be run-heavy and give the Raiders an extra dose of Jamaal Charles.  The Raiders will most likely try to make Brady Quinn beat them and focus all their attention on stopping Charles.  Outside of two games this year, the run defense for the Raiders has looked pretty good.  They have not allowed more than 54 yards rushing in four out of sic games and are currently 12th in rush defense.

Advantage: Raiders

Special Teams

The Raiders struggled in the return game last week with two muffed punts, one leading to Jaguar points.  The Chiefs have decent returners and steady kickers in Succop and Colquitt.  There hasn't been much excitement in kickoff returns this year and expect that trend to continue as both kickers can boom it through the back of the endzone.

Advantage: Raiders


Prediction:   Raiders 27, Chiefs 21

Record to date:  3-3

Raiders vs. Jaguars Predictions

The Raiders are coming off one of their best performances of the season on both sides of the ball last week against the Falcons but it wasn't enough for the victory.  This week they return home hoping to build off that performance on the road and put a victory on the board against a struggling Jaguar team.  The Jaguars also come in at 1-4 and haven't played well really all year.  This game will be the first of two in a row that the Raiders will have to play a team coming off a bye week, giving the opposition two weeks to prepare.  We'll see if the added week will give the Jaguars any kind of advantage in this one.  Let's get to the matchups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Jaguars Defense

The Raiders clicked against the Falcons last week both in the passing game and the running game, amassing over 470 yards of offense.  They'll hope that trend continues against a porous Jaguars defense, giving up 424 yards/game, including 163 yards on the ground.  The Raiders are the healthiest they have been all year and are looking to get in a groove.  McFadden is still struggling to break a long run and is still only averaging 3.2 yards/carry on the year.  Look for the emphasis to be on turning that around against a Jaguar team that has really struggled against the run.

Advantage: Raiders

Raiders Defense vs. Jaguars Offense

The Raiders also look to continue the momentum from last week on the defensive side of the ball where they held the high-powered Falcon offense to under 285 yards total offense.  Look for the front seven to put a strong emphasis on stopping the Jaguars running game, as Maurice Jones-Drew is really their only weapon on offense. They are only averaging 98 yards/game rushing but MJD is averaging 4.9 yards/carry.  Much of that is due to their defense being on the field the majority of the time and falling behind early in games.  The Raiders also intercepted their first three passes of the season last week and will hope to get a few more this week against a very week passing game in the Jaguars.  They rank last in the NFL in passing yards/game and Blaine Gabbert has really struggled.

Advantage: Raiders

Special Teams

The Jaguars have a good punter in Bryan Anger and decent kicker in Josh Scobee. Their return game is average.  The Raiders have the best punter and kicker in Shane Lechler and Sebastian Janikowski.

Advantage: Raiders


Prediction:    Raiders 27, Jaguars 14


Record to Date: 2-3

Raiders vs. Falcons Predictions

The Raiders come off their bye week to have the privilege of heading down to Georgia and playing one of the best teams in the league in the Atlanta Falcons.  The Raiders come in at 1-3 and have not played well on the road this year.  They have lost by a combined score of 72-19 in two games against the Dolphins and Broncos.  This week doesn't look to be the week to change those fortunes.  The Falcons are very good on offense with numerous weapons in Michael Turner, Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez.  They are also very good on defense in taking the ball away with already 14 takeaways in 5 games.  We'll see if Oakland can get it done as the Raiders go down to Georgia.

Raiders Offense vs. Falcons Defense 

The Raiders look to get the running game on track as they made a few adjustments during the bye week to try and get back to the success they had in recent years. The running game will be key in this game.  The Raiders need to control time of possession in order to have a chance at winning this game on the road.  They will have to help the defense out by keeping the offense on the field.  The Falcons biggest weakness on defense is their rush defense.  They currently rank 28th in rush defense, allowing over 142 yards/game on the ground.  The Falcons are aggressive on defense and like to create turnovers while the Raiders have been good so far at not turning the ball over.

Advantage: Falcons

Raiders Defense vs. Falcons Offense

This is a huge mismatch as the Falcons have the most talent on their team on the offensive side of the ball and the Raiders have proven that the are incapable of stopping anyone with their current personnel on defense.  In order to have success, the Raiders will need a better pass rush than they've shown all year to help out in the passing game.  Pressure must be taken off the corners and safeties trying to cover bigger and faster receivers.  Andre Carter will see some action in this game as DE but it's unclear as to what type of impact he will have coming off an injury from last year.  The Falcons and Matt Ryan are always very good at home and have found a rhythm in their running game with Michael Turner.  Expect them to be pass-heavy though as they try to exploit the Raiders' weakness in the secondary.

Advantage: Falcons

Special Teams

The Falcons have a steady kicker in Matt Bryant and nothing spectacular in the return game.  They're about middle of the road in punt returns and in the top ten on kickoff returns.  The Raiders should have a good day kicking and punting in the dome and have been pleasantly surprised in punt returner Phillip Adams, averaging 11.1 on punt returns.


Prediction:  Falcons 30, Raiders 14

Record to Date:  1-3