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
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
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