Raiders vs. Steelers Predictions

The Oakland Raiders face the Pittsburgh Steelers in a clash of old AFC titans.  Both teams have fallen on some hard times and no one will mistake this meeting for the ones that took place in the 70's, but it should be entertaining nonetheless. The Steelers are riding a two game winning streak while the Raiders are coming off a bye.  Coming off a bye has not bode well for the Raiders the past 10 years, as they have gone winless and have been outscored on an average of 27-14 in those games.  They look to reverse those fortunes today and get back to winning again.  Let's take a look at the matchups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Steelers Defense

Terrelle Pryor spent the bye week working with QB guru Tom House in hopes to fix some mechanics and improve his pocket passing.  Much of his improvement to this point in the season has been attributed to his hard work and seeking outside help and the Raiders hope the work he put in this past week will do the same. Darren McFadden is hoping the rest he received will help his hamstring feel better and get back to his old burst he had earlier in the season before the injury.  He has played well against the Steelers in the past and subsequently so has the team at home.  They have beaten the Steelers at home the last few times they've met.  The Steelers have been playing better on defense of late but have still struggled to get impact plays.  They have only two interceptions, no fumble recoveries, and only eight sacks through their first 6 games of the season.

Advantage: Steelers

Raiders Defense vs. Steelers Offense

The one bright spot this year for the Raiders has been their defense.  Other than the Bronco game, they have been stout on defense and in three games, have not allowed their opponent to gain 300 yards against them.  They also have all nine of their turnovers the last four games.  Their main goal this week is stopping the opposition from getting TD's and instead having to settle for field goals.  Pittsburgh is trying to focus more on their running game the past few weeks and that has translated into two wins.

Advantage: Raiders

Special Teams

Janikowski is still looking for consistency but is feeling more comfortable with King as his holder.  Still no big returns for Jacoby Ford or Phillip Adams on the season, but are both capable of breaking one.  Steelers' kicker Suisham has made all 14 of his kicks, while punter Zoltan Mesko is averaging 42.4 yards/punt.  Returners Antonio Brown and Felix Jones are dangerous and explosive.

Advantage: Raiders

Prediction:   Raiders 27, Steelers 21

Record to Date: 3-2

Raiders vs. Chiefs Predictions

The Oakland Raiders head to the Midwest to take on another surprising team in the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Raiders are coming off a late-night win over the San Diego Chargers 27-17 and look to continue the momentum heading into Arrowhead. The Chiefs are looking to go 6-0 after defeating the Tennessee Titans on the road in Nashville. The Raiders are banged up at RB with both Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings listed as questionable.  Will the Raiders continue their dominance at Arrowhead and make it 7 in a row over the Chiefs, or will Kansas City find a way to finally eek out a win against the team from the Bay?  Let's take a look at the matchups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Chiefs Defense

The Raiders will most likely be without their playmaker in McFadden for the second straight week, but that didn't stop Terrelle Pryor from showing that he is willing to take a team on his back and show the league that he will find a way to win.  Pryor last week posted the highest passer rating for a Raider QB in a game since Rich Gannon in his 2002 MVP season.  He has done exceptionally well  while throwing from the pocket, completing 72% of his throws, second in the NFL only to Peyton Manning.  Most teams have tried to contain him in the pocket and keep him from scrambling for big gains but have found that Pryor is more than capable of beating them from the pocket as well.  He will take what he's been given, however, and if a lane is free to run in, he'll do so.  He currently ranks second among QB's in rushing in the NFL.  KC has not fared well against dual-threat QB's, but have still found a way to win those games.  The Chiefs lead the league in sacks and most of the pressure they get with only their down-linemen. It will be a good cat-and-mouse game between Pryor and the defense as each side adjusts to what the other is doing.

Advantage: Chiefs

Raiders Defense vs. Chiefs Offense

The Raiders on defense has had a couple good games in a row where they have created several turnovers, while the Chiefs offense has struggled to hang on to the ball in the last two.  We'll see if that trend continues today.  The Chiefs rely heavily on Jamaal Charles out of the backfield in both the running game and the passing game as he leads the team in rushing attempts, yards, receptions and receiving yards.  The key for the success of the Raiders defense will be on how they control the amount of yards Charles gets on those touches.  The Raiders on defense will also try to control the short to intermediate throws and force Alex Smith to try and beat them deep, something he has not had much success in throughout his career.

Advantage: Chiefs

Special Teams

The Raiders have played well in coverages, but KC can break a return and go the distance with their returners.  Punting and Kicking mastery will be on display as both teams have plus kickers and punters.

Advantage: Raiders

Expect this game to be a low scoring contest that will be close throughout.  KC will finally end the frustration of the past 6 years and get a win at home against the Raiders that has alluded them for so many years.


Prediction:  Chiefs 16, Raiders 13


Record to Date: 2-2

Raiders vs. Chargers Predictions

The Raiders will try to rebound from a tough loss at home last week to the Washington Redskins as the offense really sputtered under Matt Flynn, who has been moved back to 3rd string on the depth chart.  Flynn looked hesitant to deliver any throws and it didn't help that his weapons in the backfield in Darren McFadden and Marcel Reece both went down early with injuries and did not return.  Luckily for the Raiders, Terrelle Pryor will be available for this week's matchup against the Chargers.  McFadden is listed as questionable and most likely will not play as they don't want to push the issue with a hamstring. The Chargers will be a stiffer test than in the past few years with the resurgence of Philip Rivers, as he enters the game second only to Peyton Manning in the NFL in Passer Rating. Let's take a look at the matchups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Chargers Defense

The Raiders offense will focus mainly around Pryor with his arm and his legs.  Without McFadden and possibly Reece, Pryor will have to make something out of nothing sometimes and if they hope to win, the offensive line will have to play a good game.  This does not look likely as center Stefen Wisniewski is listed as doubtful and LG Lucas Nix (ankle), RT Tony Pashos (groin) and LT Menelik Watson (right knee) are all listed as questionable.  Week 7 bye can not come soon enough for the offense.  As for the Chargers, they will be without one of their leaders in Dwight Freeney as he is out for the year after he suffered an injury last week.  Corners Shareece Wright and Johnny Patrick are both questionable.

Advantage: Chargers

Raiders Defense vs. Chargers Offense

The Chargers offense has been rolling like it was five years ago.  New Head Coach Mike McCoy has turned back the clock on Rivers and Antonio Gates and feel like their 2-2 start could easily have been 4-0.  They are already without WRs Danario Alexander and Malcolm Floyd as they are out for the year.  Rivers has found other targets, however, and has translated that into one of his best starts to the season in his career.  Ryan Matthews has given them enough in the running game to keep defenses from just keying on the passing game.  The Raiders will look to try and get pressure on Rivers as he is a different QB when he has to rush his throws.  They are also still looking for their first interception on the season.  Tyvon Branch will be out and Tracy Porter is listed as probable and should play.

Advantage: Chargers

Special Teams

The Raiders Special Teams have been mostly good so far this season.  Janikowski has missed three field goals so far, but punter Marquette King is leading the league in punting average.  Neither punt returners or kick returners have had impact returns.  The Chargers have a good kicker in Nick Novak and Mike Scifres.  Returner Eddie Royal can break one, as he did in the past against the Raiders as a member of the Denver Broncos.

Advantage: Raiders


Prediction:  Chargers 27, Raiders 21

Record to date: 2-1