The Raiders could only muster 1 touchdown today, but it didn’t matter as kicker Sebastian Janikowski nailed six field goals!  Carson Palmer was so-so as he completed 21 of 37 passes for 301 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Michael Bush had a tough game as he rushed for 69 yards on 24 carries (2.9 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 24 yards (6.0 avg).  FB Marcel Reece only carried the ball 2 times for 0 yards, but he also caught 5 passes for 92 yards (18.4 avg) in this game.  WRs Chaz Schilens (4 rec, 58 yards), Louis Murphy (2 rec, 53 yards) and Darrius Heyward-Bey (4 rec, 42 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Raiders today.  The Raiders finished up with 73 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.7 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 37 passes (56.8%) for 268 yards as they had possession of the ball for 30:02.

The defense made big plays when they had to despite giving up a lot of yards today.  Safety Tyvon Branch (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) and LB Rolando McClain (6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Raiders on D in this game.  OLB Kamerion Wimbley was outstanding today with 4 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed, 2 QB hits and an interception that he returned 73 yards!  Safety Michael Huff and CB Stanford Routt pitched in with 1 interception apiece in this game.  The Bears finished up with 172 yards on 27 carries (6.4 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 36 passes (50%) for 229 yards in this game.  The Raiders are now an impressive 7-4 on the season.

Carson Palmer has shaken off the rust and the Raiders have gotten hot.  The Raiders have won their last two games by a combined score of 51-38.  The Bears are also red hot as they have won five games in a row by a combined score of 123-69!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders aren’t going to change anything in this game as they are going to come out running the ball with Michael Bush.  The Bears are giving up 4.9 yards per carry this year, so Bush should have a good game.  The Bears are not much of a pass rushing team, so Carson Palmer should have time to throw the ball.  Palmer will likely be throwing the ball deep a lot in this game as the Bears are giving up 270.7 yards per game, but he will have to be careful as the Bears already have 15 interceptions this year.

When the Bears have the ball:  The Raiders are going to have to focus on stopping Bears’ RB Matt Forte.  Forte has 926 yards rushing and 465 yards receiving so far this year for the Bears, so the Raiders’ front seven is going to have a really tough task this Sunday.  Caleb Hanie will be making his first career NFL start this Sunday, so look for the Raiders to turn up the heat with the pass rush.  Hanie can be forced into making mistakes with the ball when under duress.  If he has time to look around though, the Raiders might be in trouble because he has a really fast set of WRs.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 20, BEARS 17

31-year old QB Carson Palmer has appeared to shake off the rust as he has been outstanding lately.  In his last two games, Palmer has completed 34 of 43 passes (79.1%) for 463 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT.  The Raiders have scored a combined 51 points in their last two games (which they won), to vault into first place in the AFC West.  To stay there, the Raiders are going to need Carson Palmer to continue playing well.  Palmer has played in 4 games so far this year for the Raiders overall and he has completed 58 of 99 passes (58.6%) for 911 yards with 6 TD passes and 7 INTs (80.0 QB Rating).  Palmer has also carried the ball 11 times for 0 yards (0.0 ypc) with 1 TD run this year.

The Raiders were ballhogs in this game and it paid off on the scoreboard.  Carson Palmer was very efficient as he completed 17 of 23 passes for 164 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 5 yards (1.7 ypc) with 1 TD run yesterday.  Michael Bush played well yesterday as he had a very heavy workload.  Bush carried the ball 30 times for 109 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 20 yards (10.0 avg).  Fullback Marcel Reece pitched in with 45 yards on 6 carries (7.5 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 16 yards (8.0 avg) in this game.  WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (4 rec, 43 yards), TE Kevin Boss (5 rec, 37 yards) and WR Chaz Schilens (1 rec, 11 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Raiders yesterday.  The Raiders finished up with 162 yards rushing on 41 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 23 passes (73.9%) for 139 yards as they had possession of the ball for 35:44.

The defense was excellent for the Raiders until the 4th quarter when the Vikings put 14 points on the board.  Safety Tyvon Branch (7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Lito Sheppard (6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Raiders in this game.  Safety Matt Giordino also had another good game for the Raiders with 4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 42 yards.  CB Stanford Routt (interception), LB Aaron Curry (fumble recovery) and CB DeMarcus Van Dyke (fumble recovery) also made big plays for the Raiders yesterday!  DTs Tommy Kelly and Desmond Bryant pitched in with 2 sacks each in this game.  The Vikings finished up with 124 yards rushing on 24 carries (5.2 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 33 passes (57.6%) for 187 yards in this game.  The Raiders still are sitting atop the AFC West alone with a 6-4 record.

The Raiders are coming off a Chargers in San Diego last week and they are now 3-1 on the road this year.  The Vikings got thrashed 45-7 by the Packers last Monday Night at Lambeau Field.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders love to run the ball and they will try to tomorrow with Michael Bush going against a Vikings’ D that is only allowing 93.9 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry so far this year.  The Vikings have one of the worst secondaries in the NFL, but they also have 27 sacks already this year.  So it all falls on the O-Line for the Raiders in this game, because, if they protect Carson Palmer well…..he’s going to have a big game throwing the ball.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings are going to feed the ball to Adrian Peterson (846 yards rushing) and dare the Raiders to stop him.  That will be easier said than done as the Raiders are giving up 132.4 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry so far this year.  The Raiders will likely get a good pass rush against Christian Ponder tomorrow as they hope to force him into making some big mistakes with the ball.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 20, VIKINGS 17

28-year old OLB Kamerion Wimbley is playing well once again for the Raiders this year.  He has played in 9 games for the Raiders this year and he has 37 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks and 2 passes defensed.  Wimbley has now played in 25 games in his first two years with the Raiders and he has 95 tackles, 15 sacks, 8 tackles for a losss, 1 forced fumble and 3 passes defensed.  Wimbley has been the best pass rusher on the Raiders since they stole him in a deal with the Cleveland Browns a couple of years ago.

The Raiders have signed 23-year old CB/KR/PR Bryan McCann.  McCann played in 5 games earlier this year for the Cowboys & Ravens and he has 1 tackle.  McCann has also returned 2 punts for 13 yards (6.5 avg) and 3 kickoffs for 79 yards (26.3 avg) so far this year.  McCann has now played in 14 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 16 tackles, 1 interception (he returned it for a TD), 2 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  McCann also has returned 10 punts for 178 yards (17.8 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 26 kickoffs for 586  yards (22.5 avg) so far in his career.  This was a good pickup for the Raiders as McCann can help them on both special teams and defense.

The Raiders pushed the Chargers around last night on both sides of the football.  Carson Palmer had his best game for the Raiders so far as he completed 14 of 20 passes for 299 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  Michael Bush was a beast last night as he ran the ball 30 times for 157 yards (5.2 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 85 yards (28.3 avg) in this game.  Rookie RB Taiwan Jones pitched in with 39 yards rushing on 7 carries (5.6 ypc) last night.  Rookie WR Denarius Moore led the way in the passing game with 5 receptions for 123 yards (24.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Raiders finished up with 191 yards rushing on 41 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 21 passes (66.7%) for 298 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:37.

The defense was pretty solid for the Raiders last night.  OLB Kamerion Wimbley led the way for the Raiders last night with 7 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 5 QB hits.  LB Adam Curry (6 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Tyvon Branch (6 tackles) also played well for the Raiders last night.  DE LaMarr Houston (fumble recovery) and safety Matt Giordano (interception with a 26-yard return) also made some big plays for the Raiders last night.  The Chargers finished up with 75 yards rushing on 15 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 47 passes (48.9%) for 239 yards in this game.  The Raiders are now 5-4 on the season as they are sitting atop the AFC West.

Both of these teams are reeling right now as the Raiders have lost two games in a row and the Chargers have lost three games in a row.  But, the Raiders and Chargers are tied with the Chiefs atop the AFC West right now, so this is a huge game for both teams.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to try to be balanced tonight against the Chargers.  But, they have been a running team first for most of this year, so look for them to feed the ball to Michael Bush against a Chargers’ D that is giving up 120.0 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  The Raiders’ O-Line will probably give Carson Palmer a lot of time to throw the ball, but he needs to quit throwing the ball to the wrong team.  In his defense, he is probably still shaking off some rust.  Palmer is looking like he is in tune with young WR Jacoby Ford and look for that to continue tonight.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to likely be balanced offensively tonight.  The Raiders must try to stop the Chargers’ running game and force Philip Rivers to beat them by throwing the ball.  That will be easier said than done as the Raiders are giving up 139.6 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry.  RBs Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews are both solid running backs, so the front seven of the Raiders is going to have their hands full.  The Raiders are a little thin in the secondary due to injuries, and that could be a problem tonight as Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson and rookie Vincent Brown give the Chargers a nice trio to throw the ball to.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 27, RAIDERS 20

46-year old head coach Hue Jackson got his Raiders off to a 4-2 start to the 2011 season as things were looking almost too easy for him.  But in the 6th game of the year, a 24-17 win over the Cleveland Browns, starting QB Jason Campbell broke his collarbone and the injury is season ending.  The Raiders then overpaid in a deal with the Bengals to acquire Carson Palmer.  The Raiders are 0-2 since Campbell went down to injury and they have been outscored 66-24 combined in those games.  Jackson needs to get his team back on the right path starting tonight in San Diego against the Chargers.