The Raiders played better both offensively and defensively than the Cardinals did yesterday but the special teams killed them in this game.  LaRod Stephens-Howling of the Cardinals returned the opening kickoff 102 yards for a TD to start the Raiders off on the wrong foot.  The Raiders drove down the field with time running low and Sebasitan Janikowski missed a 32-yard field goal as time ran out.  He was only 3 of 6 on field goals yesterday as he also missed from 41 and 58 yards.

Bruce Gradkowski got the start at QB for the Raiders and he completed 17 of 34 passes for 255 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 13 yards (3.3 ypc) in this game.  Darren McFadden had another good game on the ground for the Raiders yesterday with 105 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg).  TE Zach Miller (4 rec, 64 yards, TD) and WR Louis Murphy (5 rec, 119 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Raiders yesterday.  The Raiders finished up with 133 yards rushing on 33 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 34 passes for 231 yards in this game.

Safety Tyvon Branch (9 tackles) and DE/DT Richard Seymour (6 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Raiders on D in this game.  OLB Quentin Groves pitched in with 3 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 interception and a fumble recovery yesterday.  The Cardinals finished up with 119 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.6 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 26 passes for 108 yards.  The Raiders are now 1-2 on the year.

The Raiders and Cardinals look a lot alike going into this game.  Both of them have a close win and a blowout loss this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to hit the ground running against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 153.0 yards rushing per game and 4.4 ypc so far this year.  Darren McFadden will likely get a ton of carries this Sunday and he should have a lot of success.  Bruce Gradkowski is getting the start at QB this week for the Raiders.  He doesn’t have a big arm but he battles every week.  The Raiders will still try to throw deep to Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy despite Gradkowski’s weak arm.  He will also try to get the ball out quick to TE Zach Miller and RB Darren McFadden this week.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals might run the ball more than usual in this game as the Raiders are giving up 140.0 yards rushing per game and 4.7 ypc.  With Tim Hightower running well and Beanie Wells back it makes sense to keep the ball on the ground.  Derek Anderson will still take some shots to Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston but he has to be careful because Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha will be roaming around looking to pick him off.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 21, CARDINALS 17

The Oakland Raiders used the #4 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft on Darren McFadden.  The 23-year old RB didn’t show much in his first two years with the team.  He played in 25 games for the Raiders in his first two years with the team and he carried the ball 217 times for 856 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  McFadden also caught 50 passes for 530 yards (10.6 avg) in his first two years with the Raiders.  This season though he came into the year healthy and he didn’t have any competition for the starting job due to an injury to Michael Bush.  McFadden has taken full advantage of his chance to be the featured back for the Raiders the first two weeks of this year.  He has carried the ball 48 times for 240 yards (5.0 ypc) and he has also caught 8 passes for 63 yards (7.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Raiders will likely ride McFadden in the running game as long as he keeps producing like he is right now.

The Oakland Raiders were down 7-3 at the half when head coach Tom Cable decided to replace Jason Campbell at QB with Bruce Gradkowski which proved to be a winning move.  Jason Campbell completed 8 of 15 passes for 87 yards with 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 19 yards in this game.  Campbell also lost two fumbles as he finished up with 3 turnovers in the first half of the game.  Gradkowski completed 11 of 22 passes for 162 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT as he helped the Raiders pull out the victory.  Darren McFadden had his best overall game yesterday as an NFL back as he carried the ball 30 times for 145 yards (4.8 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 8 yards (4.0 avg) in his game.  WRs Louis Murphy (6 rec, 91 yards, TD) and Darrius Heyward-Bey (6 rec, 80 yards) led the way for the Raiders in the passing game yesterday.  The Raiders finished up with 173 yards rushing on 40 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 37 passes for 231 yards in this game.  The Raiders possessed the ball for 36:49 which helped them win this game.

The defense played really well for the Raiders in this game.  LBs Rolando McClain (6 tackles) and Kamerion Wimbley (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits) led the way for the D in this game.  Safety Tyvon Branch (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) and CB Stanford Routt (3 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) also made big plays for the Raiders on D in this game.  The Rams finished up with 75 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 25 passes for 135 yards in this game.  The Raiders are now 1-1 on the year.

This will be the Escape from L.A. bowl as both the Rams and Raiders used to call L.A. home.  The Raiders will be playing a team their own size this week so I think things will go much better for them.  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to turn Darren McFadden loose again.  They have been waiting for him to turn into the kind of back he looked like last week.  He touched the ball 24 times (18 carries, 6 catches) for 150 yards (6.3 avg) with a TD grab.  The Rams gave up 5.3 yards per carry and 112 yards rushing to the Cardinals last week so look for the Raiders to have success on the ground.  The Raiders would also like to get Jason Campbell on the right path and this week he should be able to find open receivers if given time to throw the ball.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Raiders need to load up to stop Steven Jackson.  The Rams will likely look to pound away at a Raiders’ D which was diced for 205 yards (5.3 ypc) by the Titans last week.  Mark Clayton has emerged as Sam Bradford’s favorite target so look for the Raiders to roll extra coverage to his side of the field.  Bradford threw for 253 yards last week but he also threw 3 interceptions so look for the Raiders to be blitzing a lot this weekend.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 23, RAMS 17

The Raiders have waived 28-year old WR/KR/PR Yamon Figurs.  Figurs caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg) in the season opener against the Titans.  He also returned 5 kickoffs for 105 yards (21.0 avg) and 1 punt for 10 yards.  This comes as a big surprise as Figurs was a guy capable of doing three different jobs.  Jacoby Ford and Johnnie Lee Higgins will replace him on offense and as the return men starting this weekend.

The Raiders looked horrible yesterday as the Titans took them behind the woodshed and gave them a beat-down!  Jason Campbell completed 22 of 37 passes for 180 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 34 yards (5.7 ypc) yesterday.  He really didn’t look good until the Raiders’ TD drive in the 4th quarter when the game was essentially over.  Darren McFadden looked good though.  He carried the ball 18 times for 95 yards (5.3 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 55 yards (9.2 avg) with a TD grab yesterday.  TE Zach Miller pitched in with 4 grabs for 43 yards (10.8 avg) yesterday.  The Raiders finished up with 135 yards rushing on 25 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 38 passes for 151 yards in this game.

The defense was pretty awful for the Raiders in this game as the Titans pushed them around and did whatever they wanted on offense.  Safety Tyvon Branch (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and DE Richard Seymour (5 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the Raiders on “D” yesterday.  The Titans finished up with 205 yards rushing on 39 carries (5.3 ypc) and they completed 13 of 17 passes for 140 yards in this game.  The Raiders have a lot of work to do if they play on winning a few games in 2010.

The Raiders have a new look for 2010 and most of it has to do with new QB Jason Campbell.  For the first time in a few years the Raiders have a legit starting NFL QB so they should be a lot better on offense in 2010.  Here is a close look at the match-up this week with the Titans:

When the Raiders have the football:  I look for the Raiders to be much more balanced this year.  With Michael Bush sporting a broken thumb it looks as if Darren McFadden and Michael Bennett will carry the load in the running game.  If the O-Line can give Jason Campbell time to throw the ball he’s going to have some success.  TE Zach Miller will be the main guy on the short stuff and he will get a lot of action this week as Campbell favored throwing to the TE last year in Washington.  In classic Raiders’ style I see them going vertical in the passing game with speedsters like Louis Murphy, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Yamon Figurs and rookie Jacoby Ford.  Campbell does a good job of protecting the football which is going to be new for the Raiders.

When the Titans have the ball:  What you see is what you get with the Titans.  They are going to run the ball a lot and throw short passes off play action.  The Raiders will have to go all out in this game to stop Charles Johnson and their secondary is good enough to handle the Titans’ receivers without much help from the front seven.  They will also be turning their OLBs loose (Kamerion Wimbley and Quentin Groves) to blitz Vince Young on passing downs.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 20, RAIDERS 17

The Raiders have signed 27-year old DT Jay Alford.  Alford didn’t play in any games last season due to injury.  He has played in 32 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has 16 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 1 pass defensed.  The 6’3″, 304 pound Alford will provide depth along the interior of the Raiders’ D-Line in 2010.

The Oakland Raiders were 5-11 last season despite using QBs like Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye and JaMarcus Russell.  This year they will have a real NFL starting QB in Jason Campbell.  I think Campbell will make the rest of the offense better around him and I think the Raiders are going to be a better football team in 2010.  I would take the over on Raiders’ wins in 2010.  They are also 66-1 to win the Super Bowl in 2010 and I don’t think that’s a bet I would even bet 1 buck on.