Raiders vs. Chiefs Predictions

It's Thursday Night and it's time for some football.  The Oakland Raiders will be enjoying their first and only primetime game of the season tonight as they face the 7-3 Kansas City Chiefs at home.  Much will be discussed about whether or not this Oakland team will get in the win column this season or be the second team to ever go 0-16 in a season.  Let's take a look at the matchups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Chiefs Defense

The Raiders will start Latavius Murray at running back in hopes of jump starting their running game.  It should be good conditions tonight to establish something on the ground as it has been raining most of the day and the forecast at gametime calls for light rain.  We'll see if the change at RB will make a difference.  On the other side of the ball, the Kansas City Chiefs will try and get after Derek Carr, as they have 30 sacks on the season, among the league leaders.

Advantage: Chiefs

Raiders Defense vs. Chiefs Offense

The Raiders Defense has played fairly well the last couple of weeks and hopes that the unit is starting to come together and is trending upward.  The key for tonight will be to contain Jamaal Charles in the running and passing games.  Last year, Charles ate up the Raiders on screen passes to the tune of 195 yards and 4 TDs in their last meeting. Expect the Raiders to sell out on the running game and dare Smith to throw the ball in order to be successful on offense.

Advantage: Chiefs

Special Teams

The Raiders have a good returner in T.J. Carrie, but he will most likely be out for this one.  The Chiefs love to flip field position with their punter Dustin Colquitt pinning opponents deep inside their own 20 yard line.

Advantage: Chiefs


Prediction: Chiefs 20, Raiders 9


Record to Date: 7-2

Raiders vs Broncos Predictions

The Raiders are still looking for their first win as they face their division rivals the Denver Broncos. I don't expect their fortunes to change after this one either. The last 5 matchups, the Broncos have won by an average of almost 20 points/game. As long as Peyton Manning is quarterback, the road to a victory will prove difficult. The Raiders have not shown that they are capable of putting together a complete game that is able to post a victory. Unless that manifests itself, it would be foolish to pick them to win against a good, let alone a great, team. They are on pace to average fewer rushing yards per game than any team since 1946. That is about as bad as it gets.

Prediction: Broncos 35, Raiders 10

Record to Date: 6-2

Raiders vs. Seahawks Predictions

The Raiders head to Seattle in search of their first victory of the season in one of the more difficult places to play. There shouldn't be any doubt to the outcome of this one. Expect the Seahawks to control both sides of the ball and come away with an easy victory. Coming into the game at 4-3, the Seahawks will not take this game for granted, with hopes of getting on a roll and gaining control of the division. The Raiders realize that this is not the preseason and fully expect this game to be played differently than their matchup a couple of months ago when the Raiders completely dominated most of the game. Let's take a look at the matchups and predict the winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Seahawks Defense

The Raiders are still looking for consistency in the running game and the passing game as they have yet to put together a complete game.  Only once have they scored more than 14 points in a game this season and that doesn't look likely that they'll break 14 today either. The Seahawks defense has been more inconsistent this year but are still fully capable of completely shutting down the Raiders this week. Derek Carr will still come after Richard Sherman if there is one-on-one coverage on the outside. He has been fearless through the first half of the season and for the most part has not been burned by it. If they get behind early, it will be a recipe for disaster by having to rely heavily on the passing game.  Ideally they would like their splits to be more 50/50 run to pass and if they get behind early, they will have to abandon that game plan.

Advantage: Seahawks

Raiders Defense vs. Seahawks Offense

The Seahawks feature a heavy dose of the running game with Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson.  The Raiders, on the other hand, have struggled to stop the run this year.  This will be the emphasis for the Seahawks' plan of attack. With the emergence of Khalil Mack as a force in the running game and success overall against the run the last couple of weeks, this will be an interesting matchup to keep an eye on.

Advantage: Seahawks

Special Teams

The Raiders have not had many explosive plays on special teams yet this year, neither has the Seahawks.  Don't expect this area to influence the outcome of the game.  Both punters are middle of the road and both kickers are above average.  With the Seahawks being at home, i give the edge to Seattle.

Advantage: Seahawks


Prediction:  Seahawks 30, Raiders 13

Record to Date: 5-2

Raiders vs. Browns predictions

The Raiders hope this is the week that they finally get over the hump and get their first win of the season against the Browns. The Browns lost last week to the then winless Jaguars. Don't expect the Browns to have their guard down two weeks in a row. They don't want to be the team that lost to two winless teams. Let's take a look at the matchups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense vs Browns Defense

The Raiders took a step back on offense against the Cardinals, but that's to be expected, as the Cardinals are a very tough defense. This week should serve as a better barometer to where they are at and how they are progressing as a unit. Look for WR Brice Butler to get more reps as he showed he can shine in limited opportunities. Running Back Darren McFadden has improved over the last two weeks and should see the bulk of the carries going forward. The Browns always play tough at home and this will be no exception.

Advantage: Browns

Raiders Defense vs Browns Offense

The Raiders are still trying to find a way to fix their third down defense. Last week the Cardinals converted 3 third-and-eight situations on one touchdown drive alone. If they continue on this trend, they will have the worst third down defense ever in a season. The Browns are hoping to quiet the Manziel talks with better play out of Hoyer. The matchup to watch will be Ben Tate against the defensive line.

Advantage: Browns

Prediction: Browns 21, Raiders 13

Record to Date: 4-2

Raiders vs Cardinals Predictions

The Oakland Raiders look to build off last week's strong performance against the Chargers to see if they can get their first win of the season against the Arizona Cardinals. Plenty of things still need fixed including third-down defense, which was an emphasis in practice this week. Let's take a look at the matchups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense vs Cardinals Defense

The Raiders Offense started to show some life last week with big plays down the field in the passing game and downhill running with Darren McFadden. They hope that trend continues against a tough Cardinals defense. The Cardinals have played well against the run and have played on the line that can get pressure on the quarterback. The Raiders, however, have only given up 4 sacks in 5 games this season.

Advantage: Cardinals

Raiders Defense vs Cardinals Offense

The Cardinals Offense is centered around the passing game and their quarterback, former Raider Carson Palmer. Their receivers will be a matchup problem for the Raiders secondary with their size and athleticism. The Raiders will have to get more pressure on Palmer to be effective, as he struggles under pursue and had the propensity for throwing interceptions at the most inopportune time.

Advantage: Cardinals

Special Teams

The Raiders received some spark they were looking for in the return game with the emergence of T.J. Carrie. He was able to give them good starting field position by returning several kickoffs to midfield.

Advantage: Raiders

Prediction: Cardinals 24, Raiders 17

Record to Date: 3-2

Raiders vs. Chargers Predictions

The Raiders come off their bye week to face the first place San Diego Chargers complete with a new head coach in Tony Sparano in hopes of turning around a dreadful start to the season. Coaches and players feel that there is still plenty of opportunities to get back in it with all 6 of their divisional games still to be played, provided they start playing better than they have been. It has looked like early on that this team is one of the worst assembled in Oakland. Coach Sparano has attempted to make some changes this week that he hopes will have a lasting effect, including speeding up the tempo in practices and intermixing offensive and defensive players in the locker room. What it will come down to is every player to a man deciding that they are going to do everything they can to turn this around and become responsible for what happens on every snap out on the football field.  Let's get to the matchups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Chargers Defense

The Raiders offense has been the most offensive group on the team, namely the running game and dropped passes by the receivers.  The goal on offense against the Chargers has to be establishing the run.  That doesn't just mean having 30+ attempts in the game, it means having success in the running game.  Quarterback Philip Rivers is one of the most efficient and successful QB's in the league right now and you want him to have as few possessions as possible.  It will also help the defense greatly if they are fresh to defend him.  The bulk of the responsibility of the success of the running game falls on Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden's shoulders.  They need to start running downhill and with more authority.  They have looked very timid in the early going when they get to the line of scrimmage.  They need to trust that the hole will be there or get two yards by plowing into the line and pushing some people around if it isn't there. The Chargers defense can get after the quarterback and it would be a worst case scenario if we were forced to pass all the time.

Advantage: Chargers

Raiders Defense vs. Chargers Offense

Much of the same for this matchup.  The Raiders must stop the Chargers running game on first and second down and force them into 3rd and long situations.  Both Ryan Matthews and Donald Brown are out for this game, but Branden Oliver will get the start, who was fantastic last week against the Jets.  The Raiders must win the battles at the line of scrimmage on both running and passing plays or it will be a long day on offense and on defense.

Advantage: Chargers

Special Teams

The Raiders haven't had many impactful plays on special teams in the return game and Janikowski has had very many opportunities for field goals.  I would say they have been steady but not great.  We just hope that Marquette King's leg doesn't fall off by the end of the season with the amount of punts he has had to make already.  Nick Novak has made all 11 of his field goals and all 14 of his extra points this season for the Chargers.

Advantage: Chargers


Prediction:  Chargers 31, Raiders 14

Record to Date: 2-2

Raiders vs. Dolphins Predictions

The Raiders headed to London this last week in order to get their body-clocks acclimated to the different time zone in preparation for their game against the Miami Dolphins.  The team hopes that the time spent there will change their fortunes in games more than three time-zones away, where they have not posted a victory since 2009. Many feel that this game is make or break for Head Coach Dennis Allen if he wishes to keep his job after the Bye Week next week.  I'm not sure that's the case.  He has to show improvement for sure, but this is a team that has a rookie QB, eleven new starters; 4 new starters on the offensive line and three new starters on the defensive line.  If the games are decided in the trenches, then that's a lot to ask of a guy this early in the season to turn it around.  Still, they need to find some victories and this game is one that should be available to take.  Let's take a look at the match-ups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Dolphins Defense

The Raiders will once again have the services of Maurice Jones-Drew this week but Allen has already stated that McFadden will get the start because of the preparation time in practice this week. Rod Streater will not be available for this game, which means more reliance will be on James Jones and Denarius Moore to pick up the slack.  Andre Holmes and newly acquired Vincent Brown will take the reps in Streater's absence.  The Raiders have to rely more on their running game in order to be more successful on offense.  The running game will allow the defense to be fresher and a fresher defense has a chance to make more impactful plays. The Dolphins on defense have not been very good the last couple of weeks in losses to Buffalo and Kansas City, giving up over 31 points/game, and the Raiders hope that trend continues.

Advantage: Dolphins

Raiders Defense vs. Dolphins Offense

The Raiders defense was much better in the loss last week against the Patriots and they hope some of that success becomes a trend.  They were able to get more pressure on the quarterback just rushing 4 and were able to stop the running game.  They will be without Nick Roach and Sio Moore at the linebacker position and Tyvon Branch at the safety position. Taking their places will be Miles Burris and Kaluka Maiava at linebacker and Usama Young at safety. The Dolphins have been inconsistent on offense this year to the point of QB Ryan Tannehill's job being in jeopardy. Their offseason acquisition at RB in Knowshon Moreno is expected to miss 1-2 months because of an elbow injury.  That leaves Lamar Miller as one of their main sources of offense.  They still have Mike Wallace at WR, who is a threat because of his speed and elusiveness.

Advantage: Raiders

Special Teams

The Raiders special teams this year have been nothing to write home about so far. They are looking for an impact in the return game and more consistency from Marquette King on punts.  The Dolphins have had some impact plays on special teams with a 74 yard kickoff return, but so has their opposition, averaging 30.9 yards/kickoff and 14.6 yards/punt return.

Advantage: Raiders


Prediction:  Raiders 23, Dolphins 20

Record to Date: 2-1

Raiders vs. Patriots Predictions

After falling flat on their face in the season opener, the Raiders head to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots.  Let's be honest, if they don't get this thing turned around quick, will Dennis Allen still be the Head Coach after the Bye Week in Week 5?  After this week they head to London to take on the Dolphins and from there the schedule gets tough. Where are the wins going to come from? Chargers, Cardinals, Browns, Seahawks, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Rams, 49ers, Chiefs, Bills and Broncos have them looking at another best-case scenario 4-12 again this year.  There is too much talent on the defensive side of the ball for them to look this bad and it has to be from a lack of familiarity.  They will lose all 16 if they play like they did against the Texans last week. This after having what the coaching staff said was a great week of practice.  If things don't look better this week, then major changes will have to be made. Let's take a look at the matchups and predict the obvious winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Patriots Defense

When was the last time the Raiders defeated the Patriots?  Are you old enough to remember? It was the Gannon-led Raiders back in their Super Bowl season of 2002.  The Raiders offense is a far cry from that team and don't have much going for them other than Derek Carr's moxy.  The recent signing of receiver Vincent Brown probably won't have much of an impact in this one.  The running game, which was what was supposed to be the identity of this team, has a league low 32 attempts and 126 yards through two weeks.  Quarterback Derek Carr is the leading rusher with 57 yards, 41 of which came on one play last week.  The Patriots have capitalized on turnovers on defense and will look to do more of the same against the rookie Carr, who had 2 INT's last week.

Advantage: Patriots

Raiders Defense vs. Patriots Offense

The Raiders defensively will try and focus on stopping the run as most every team that they face will try and impose their will on the front line and dare them to stop them.  It has been a recipe for success for their opponents for the last 13 years.  They will most likely be without starting linebackers Nick Roach and Sio Moore which will make the task more daunting. The Patriots are still searching for consistency on offense, as they are averaging 304 yards/game and rank 25 or lower in numerous offensive categories.  Tom Brady's QB Rating is lower than Carr's and is having one of his worst starts of the season in his career.

Advantage: Patriots

Special Teams

The Raiders have not flashed much in the return game as of yet and Janikowski has not attempted a field goal yet this season.  Punter King is averaging 44 yards/punt.  The Patriots have a good punt returner in Julian Edelman, who is averaging over 13 yards/punt return.  Stephen Gostkowski is 5 of 5 on field goals and extra points.

Advantage: Patriots


Prediction:  Patriots 34, Raiders 17

Record to Date: 1-1

Raiders vs. Texans Predictions

The Oakland Raiders will face the Houston Texans today in Oakland's home opener.  Last week the Raiders lost to the Jets 19-14 as the offense had a hard time mustering up anything against Rex Ryan's defense.  The Houston Texans opened the season with a win against the Washington Redskins with a convincing 17-6 defensive performance.  The Raider's players this week felt as if some little things were not executed that led to the defeat and that those things are something that can be corrected for this week.  It will be a wait-and-see approach with this team as they continue to learn how to work together as a unit. We will find out if anything did indeed get fixed as they head into this game against another tough defense.  The offensive line will have their hands full with J.J. Watt but catch a break with the injury to #1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. Let's take a look at the matchups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense vs. Texans Defense

The Raiders were not very good running the ball last week against the Jets which was what they were hoping would be a strength this season to help relieve some pressure off Derek Carr. Maurice Jones-Drew is questionable this week after suffering a hand injury, which will make it even that much tougher to get something going on the ground.  The passing game was forced to go with a lot of underneath throws in last week's loss because of the constant pressure on Carr.  Expect them to try more throws down the field this week to try and loosen up the defense.  The Texans held the Redskins last week to only 6 points and Watt had one sack, two tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, one blocked extra point and one fumble recovery.

Advantage: Texans

Raiders Defense vs. Texans Offense

The Raiders defense was good at times last week but still allowed Geno Smith to do whatever he wanted.  If it wasn't for the fumble inside the 5 yard line and the interception, the score would have been more lopsided.  Still the Raiders feel that this is a unit that can win some games for them.  Gap assignments need to be shored up to be better against the run but most things they saw on film were little things they think are easily corrected.  The Texans start Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback who has played pretty well against the Raiders in the past. The receivers that you have to account for are Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, as they accounted for 182 of the 206 passing yards last week.  The Raiders have won the last two meetings between these teams, but that was with Matt Schaub as their QB, who is now on the Raiders sideline.

Advantage: Raiders

Special Teams

The Raiders special teams had one decent return of 38 yards on a kickoff, Janikowski did not attempt a field goal, King had 9 punts that averaged 44.6 yards and T.J. Carrie averaged 7 yards a punt return.  The Texans had a similar day last week with Lechler averaging 51 yards/punt on 6 punts and Demaris Johnson averaging 7 yards/punt return and 27 yards on a kickoff return.

Advantage: Raiders


Prediction:  Raiders 21, Texans 17

Record this year: 1-0
 

Raiders vs. Jets Predictions

We're back with a new year of football and with that comes anticipation and excitement for 32 NFL fan-bases.  That is no exception for the Oakland Raiders.  The Raiders look to unveil their shiny new toys on offense and defense after being aggressive in the offseason, bringing in both savvy veterans and impactful rookies.  With so many changes on both sides of the ball, it's tough to anticipate how this team will play together and just how long it will take to gel.  Will rookie QB Derek Carr be as dynamic in the regular season as he was in the preseason?  Will the front-seven create more pass-rush with the additions of Khalil Mack, Lamar Woodley and Justin Tuck?  One thing is known, the Raiders have struggled mightily in the Eastern Time Zone, with their last win coming in 2009.  With that in mind, let's take a look at the matchups and predict a winner.

Raiders Offense Vs. Jets Defense

The Raiders will be starting a rookie QB the first week of the season since...it's never happened before.  A lot will ride on the running game in this matchup for that reason.  The Raiders brought in Maurice Jones-Drew to help keep Darren McFadden healthier and to fill the void left by Rashad Jennings leaving as a free agent.  Look for a heavy dose of both running backs in both the running game and the passing game.  The will look to use the backs in a variety of different sets and formations.  The Jets will be without both starting CB's, but the defense is still led by the ever-masterful defensive mind in Rex Ryan.  Look for Ryan to use a variety of different looks and blitzes to try and confuse the rookie QB.

Advantage: Jets

Raiders Defense Vs. Jets Offense

The Raiders on defense will rely heavily on their front-seven to neutralize both the running game and the passing game. Both outside linebackers in Sio Moore and Khalil Mack are active and can create problems with their pass-rush and their ability to cover the middle of the field. The defense will go as they go.  The Jets picked up Chris Johnson in the offseason to join with holdovers Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell.  They also acquired WR Eric Decker from Denver to have a number one receiver for Geno Smith to throw to.  Many believe that this is going to be Smith's break-through season if he can cut down on the interceptions.

Advantage: Jets

Special Teams

The Raiders will have new kick returners and punt returner this year, with second-year RB Latavius Murray splitting time with Taiwan Jones as kick returners and rookie CB T.J. Carrie returning punts. The Jets are also introducing new kick returners and punt returner with Saalim Hakim and Jalen Saunders returning kicks and Saunders returning punts.

Advantage: Raiders

Prediction:  Jets 20, Raiders 14