The Raiders really want this game so they can finish 8-8 on the season.  They beat the Chiefs earlier this year 23-20 in O.T. at the Black Hole.  But, the Chiefs are 7-0 at home and they are likely to play all of their regulars as they want to keep the #3 seed in the playoffs.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to come out running the ball with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush as the Raiders are averaging 152.3 yards rushing per game and 4.9 ypc.  If the Raiders establish a running game then it will make things much easier for Jason Campbell and the passing game.  The Raiders will take some deep shots in the passing game against the Chiefs who are giving up 225.6 yards passing per game so far this year.  Having success throwing the ball will depend on the O-Line for the Raiders because Campbell will need a lot of time to throw the ball and if he gets it look for Jacoby Ford, Zach Miller and Louis Murphy to make some plays.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are likely going to come out running the ball so the Raiders will likely have to key on stopping Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones.  The Raiders also have to be very careful not to overplay the run as Matt Cassel is deadly off playaction.  Dwayne Bowe is a matchup nightmare for the Raiders because of his size/speed combo.

PREDICTION:  CHIEFS 27, RAIDERS 24

24-year old Tyvon Branch and 27-year old Michael Huff have both been really busy so far this year.  It’s usually a bad sign for a defense when your safeties are leading the team in tackles.  Branch has played in 15 games so far this year for the Raiders and he has 99 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 3 passes defensed, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries.  Huff has played in 15 games for the Raiders so far this year and he has 92 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 5 passes defensed, 2 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles.  The Raiders will need to strengthen the front seven before next year starts to lessen the load on Branch & Huff while improving a run defense that is allowing 134.9 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year.

The Oakland Raiders played tough against the Colts yesterday but they just came up a tad short in the end.  Jason Campbell was solid in this game for the Raiders.  Jason Campbell completed 29 of 42 passes for 231 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 10 yards (3.3 ypc) in this game.  Darren McFadden led the way on the ground with 45 yards rushing on 11 carries (4.1 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 31 yards (7.8 avg).  Michael Bush pitched in with 3 carries for 19 yards (6.3 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 15 yards (5.0 avg) in this game.  TE Zach Miller led the way for the Raiders in the passing game yesterday with 9 grabs for 66 yards with a TD grab.  WRs Darrius Heyward-Bey (4 rec, 40 yards) and Jacoby Ford (2 rec, 21 yards) also helped out in the passing game.  Ford started this game off with a bang for the Raiders as he returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a TD.  The Raiders finished up with 80 yards rushing on 20 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 42 passes for 210 yards.

DE John Henderson (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed), safety Tyvon Branch (8 tackles) and safety Michael Huff (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Raiders’ D yesterday.  CB Chris Johnson pitched in with an interception in this game.  The Colts finished up with 191 yards rushing on 39 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 30 passes for 179 yards.  The Raiders are now 7-8 on the year.

The Raiders can win the AFC West with two wins in the last two weeks and some help.  They are going to come out ready to rock in the Black Hole this Sunday where they are 5-2.  The Colts are tied with the Jaguars for first place in the AFC South so they need this game too.  The Colts just aren’t the same team on the road where they are 3-4 on the season.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to pound away at the Colts’ D with Darren McFadden, Michael Bush and Marcel Reece.  The Colts are giving up 135.8 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year so McFadden and the other backs should have good games.  The Raiders will slow the Colts’ pass rush with playaction passes to speedy WRs Louis Murphy, Jacoby Ford at TE Zach Miller. 

When the Colts have the ball:  The Raiders have 40 sacks already this year so they are going to be coming after Peyton Manning all day long.  The Raiders should also double cover Reggie Wayne and make Manning try to beat them by throwing to someone else.  The Raiders also can’t overlook the Colts’ running game which came alive last weekend with Donald Brown.  Joseph Addai will also be back this weekend, giving the Raiders even more to worry about.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 27, COLTS 23

The Raiders kicked the Broncos’ butt again last Sunday!  Jason Campbell was very effective in this game as he completed 15 of 26 passses for 238 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 41 yards (8.2 ypc) in this game.  Darren McFadden led the way on the ground for the Raiders in this game with 119 yards rushing on 20 carries (6.0 ypc).  He also caught 4 passes for 39 yards (9.8 avg) in this game.  Michael Bush pitched in with 24 yards rushing on 12 carries (2.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs in this game.  Marcel Reece only carried the ball 3 times for 9 yards (3.0 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 79 yards (39.5 avg) with a 73-yard TD catch.  Jacoby Ford caught 3 passes for 47 yards (15.7 avg) and he also had 1 carry….it went for a 71 yard TD.  The Raiders finished up with 264 yards rushing on 41 carries (6.4 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 26 passes for 238 yards.

DE Matt Shaughnessy (8 tackles, tackle for a loss, 1.5 sacks and 2 QB hits) and LB Quentin Groves (3 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss  including a safety on a tackle of Correll Buckhalter in the end zone) led the way for the Raiders’ on D in this game.  The Broncos finished up with 106 yards rushing on 33 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 8 of 16 passes for 129 yards.  The Raiders are now 7-7 on the season.

The Raiders are likely very happy to see the Denver Broncos coming in for a visit tomorrow.  The Raiders pasted the Broncos 59-14 earlier this year in Denver and they are 4-0 against teams in the AFC West.  The Raiders are also a very solid 4-2 in the Black Hole this year.  The Broncos got punished 43-13 last week by the Cardinals in Eric Studesville’s debut as a NFL head coach.  The Broncos have lost 4 games in a row and 8 of their last 9.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to keep going with what works.  That means they are going to tighten up the chinstraps and punch the Broncos in the mouth with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.  The Broncos are giving up 150.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so I see the Raiders being very successful running the ball this Sunday.  If the Broncos try to sneak extra defenders in the box to stop the run, that’s when Jason Campbell is going to attack them deep off play-action to WRs Jacoby Ford & Louis Murphy.

When the Broncos have the ball:  With Kyle Orton’s arm hurting, I look for the Broncos to also try to run the ball a lot more than usual in this game.  Knowshon Moreno will likely have a really heavy workload.  The Raiders will try to get in Kyle Orton’s face (they have 38 sacks) and force him into making some mistakes.  They also might be able to knock him out of the game which would bring in Tim Tebow.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 38, BRONCOS 13

The Raiders wasted a great offensive effort yesterday in Jacksonville.  Jason Campbell had his best game of the year for the Raiders yesterday.  He completed 21 of 30 passes for 324 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Kyle Boller replaced Campbell for a few plays after he left the game with a stinger.  Boller completed 1 of 3 passes for 20 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Darren McFadden carried the ball 16 times for 123 yards (7.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 3 passes for 86 yards (28.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Michael Bush pitched in with 5 carries for 22 yards (4.4 ypc) in this game.  TE Zach Miller (4 rec, 68 yards) and WR Louis Murphy (6 rec, 59 yards, TD) led the way for the Raiders through the air in this game.  The Raiders finished up with 153 yards on 25 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 33 passes for 323 yards.

Safety Tyvon Branch (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception), OLB Kamerion Wimbley (6 tackles, 1/2 a sack and 2 tackles for a loss) and safety Michael Huff (5 tackles) led the way for the Raiders’ “D” in this game.  The Jaguars finished up with 234 yards rushing on 34 carries (6.9 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 22 passes for 151 yards in this game.  The Raiders are now 6-7 on the season.

The Raiders looked good last week in pasting the Chargers 28-13.  But the Raiders are 0-2 east of the Mississippi this year and they have lost by a combined score of 73-16!  The Jaguars are hot right now as they have won four of their last five games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to feed the ball to Darren McFadden & Michael Bush against a Jags’ D that is allowing 109.5 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  If the Raiders get a running game going then look for Jason Campbell to take some shots down the field to Louis Murphy and Jacoby Ford against a Jags’ pass D that is allowing 252.9 yards passing per game.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to feed the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings against a Raiders’ D that is allowing 124.3 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  Most of the Jaguars’ passing game is likely going to come off play action passes down the field to Mike Thomas and Mike Sims-Walker (if he’s ready to give it a go in this game).  The Jags’ TEs (Marcedes Lewis and Zach Miller) will also be active for the Jags.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 26, RAIDERS 17

The Raiders don’t need 28-year old QB Jason Campbell to light up the sky with passes.  They just need him to be efficient like he was last weekend against the Chargers.  He completed 10 of 16 passes for 117 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (105.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 7 times for 37 yards (5.3 ypc) with 1 TD run last week.  Campbell has now played in 9 games this year for the Raiders and he has completed 114 of 206 passes (55.3%) for 1,439 yards with 8 TD passes and 6 INTs (78.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 35 times for 138 yards (3.9 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  With Bruce Gradkowski out of the picture due to injury, Campbell won’t have to be looking behind his back the rest of the year.

The Raiders shocked the world yesterday by getting up off the mat and punching the Chargers in the mouth the whole game long!  Jason Campbell was little more than a game manager yesterday as he completed 10 of 16 passes for 117 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 37 yards (5.3 ypc) with a TD run.  Darren McFadden led the way on the ground for the Raiders yesterday with 97 yards rushing on 19 carries (5.1 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg).  Michael Bush was also a stud yesterday as he carried the ball 23 times for 95 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD carry.  Marcel Reece only carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards but he also caught 3 passes for 42 yards (14.0 avg).  Rookie WR Jacoby Ford only caught 1 pass and it went for a 4-yard TD.  The Raiders finished up with 251 yards rushing on 52 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 16 passes for 117 yards as they had possession of the ball for 38:39.

The defense was solid for the Raiders yesterday.  LB Rolando McClain (7 tackles) and safety Michael Huff (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception) led the way for the Raiders’ D in this game.  The Chargers finished up with 21 yards rushing on 8 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 39 passes for 265 yards.  The Raiders are now tied for second in the AFC West with the Chargers at 6-6.