The Oakland Raiders have a lot to play for tomorrow.  They can win the AFC West with a win over the Chargers and a Broncos’ loss to the Chiefs.  They can also make the playoffs with a win over the Chargers and a lot of help.  The Raiders beat the Chargers 24-17 earlier this year.  The Chargers have won three of their last four games but they were whacked hard by the Lions 38-10 last weekend in Detroit.  This could (and should) be Norv Turner’s last game as the head coach of the Chargers.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders rushed for 191 yards against the Chargers in the first meeting, so look for Michael Bush (157 yards rushing on 30 carries) to have a really heavy workload.  As soon as the Chargers sneak closer to the line to stop Bush, Carson Palmer is going to attack the Chargers down the field off play action passes.  Darrius Heyard-Bey and Denarius Moore’s speed are going to give the Chargers’ corners big time issues tomorrow.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to attack the Raiders on the ground and through the air tomorrow.  RBs Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert are going to take aim at a Raiders’ D that is allowing 135.0 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry so far this year.  The Raiders are going to have to get after Philip Rivers, because if he has time to throw the ball….they are in for trouble.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 33, CHARGERS 30

The Raiders have sent a trio of players to the Pro Bowl.  32-year old DT/DE Richard Seymour got a lot of respect due to his past production as he has played in 15 games for the Raiders so far this year in which he has 27 tackles, 6 sacks and 3 passes defensed.  33-year old kicker Sebastian Janikowski will be the kicker for the AFC.  He has played in 14 games for the Raiders so far this year and he has connected on 27 of 31 field goals (87.1%) including a 63-yard bomb.  Janikowski has made 9 field goals of over 50 yards so far this year.  He has also made all 34 of his extra point attempts this year as he has scored 115 points so far this year.  35-year old punter Shane Lechler is also going to the Pro Bowl.  He has played in 15 games for the Raiders so far this year and he has punted the ball 77 times for 3,902 yards (50.7 avg).  He only has 8 touchbacks (10.4%) and he has placed the ball inside the opposing 20-yard line 27 times (35.1%).

The Raiders got a big win last Saturday in K.C.  Carson Palmer did not have a good game.  He completed 16 of 26 passes for 237 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  Michael Bush led the way on the ground with 70 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.0 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 24 yards (12.0 avg).  WRs Denarius Moore (6 rec, 94 yards, TD) and Darrius Heyward-Bey (4 rec, 70 yards) led the way for the Raiders in the passing game.  The Raiders finished up with 71 yards rushing on 25 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 26 passes (61.5%) for 237 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:34.

The Raiders also got excellent production out of the special teams in this game.  CB Bryan McCann returned 3 kickoffs for 149 yards (49.7 avg) with one return that went for 91 yards.  DE Trevor Scott blocked a 49-yard field goal by the Chiefs’ Ryan Succop…which sent the game into overtime, where the Raiders won.

The defense gave up a lot of yards, but they also made a lot of big plays on Saturday.  Safety Matt Giordano had a huge game as he led the way for the Raiders on D with 10 tackles, 1 pass defense and a interception that he returned 91 yards.  LB Rolando McClain (8 tackles and 1 pass defensed), CB Lito Sheppard (7 tackles) and CB Stanford Routt (interception) also had solid games on D for the Raiders.  The Chiefs finished up with 135 yards rushing on 30 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 36 passes (58.3%) for 300 yards.  The Raiders are now 8-7 on the season and they can win the NFC West with a win over the Chargers next weekend and a Broncos’ loss to the Chiefs.

The Oakland Raiders have lost three games in a row, including last week’s heartbreaker….28-27 to the Lions at the Black Hole.  The Raiders have lost three games in a row now and they are looking terrible, especially on defense as they have given up 108 points in the those games.  The Raiders got thumped 28-0 in Oakland in the first matchup between these two teams.  The Chiefs are 1-0 under new head coach Romeo Crennel as they beat the Packers last weekend at Arrowhead Stadium.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are likely going to come out running the ball against the Chiefs tomorrow.  The Chiefs are giving up 130.4 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry, so Michael Bush should be able to find some running room.  The Chiefs picked off 6 passes (3 off Kyle Boller and 3 off Carson Palmer) in the first meeting between these two teams.  Carson Palmer is going to have to be careful throwing the ball down the field in this game.  The Raiders have the speed at WR to hit homeruns, so Palmer will need to get the balls to them in stride.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are going to be pretty balanced tomorrow.  Thomas Jones and Jackie Battle are going to attack the Raiders between the tackles.  The Raiders are giving up 135.0 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry so far this year.  If the Chiefs get a good running game going, the Raiders are in deep trouble.  That is because Kyle Orton looked really solid last weekend against the Packers.  Orton can get the ball down the field to Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston in this game if he has time to throw the ball.

PREDICTION:  CHIEFS 27, RAIDERS 20

The Raiders gave up 14 unanswered points in the last 7:47 of this game as their defense let them down big time.  Carson Palmer was outstanding in this game as he completed 32 of 40 passes for 367 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Michael Bush led the way on the ground for the Raiders yesterday with 77 yards rushing on 18 carries (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 7 passes for 62 yards (8.9 avg).  Fullback Marcel Reece pitched in with 1 carry for 26 yards and 3 receptions for 16 yards.  WR Louis Murphy carried the ball 2 times for 16 yards (8.0 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 8 yards.  WR Darrius Heyward-Bey led the way for the Raiders in this game with 8 grabs for 155 yards (19.4 avg) with 1 TD catch.  WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (6 rec, 52 yards) and TE Kevin Boss (3 rec, 47 yards) also pitched in for the Raiders in the passing game.  The Raiders finished up with 132 yards rushing on 22 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 32 of 40 passes (80%) for 345 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:33.

The defense really let the Raiders down in the 4th quarter today and it could wind up costing them a playoff spot.  LB Rolando McClain (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit), CB Lito Sheppard (8 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Matt Giordano (8 tackles) led the way for the Raiders on D in this game.  OLB Aaron Curry pitched in with 3 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and a fumble recovery that he returned 6 yards for a TD also had a solid game for the Raiders today.  The Lions finished up with 57 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 52 passes (55.8%) for 375 yards.  The Raiders are now 7-7 on the season.

The Oakland Raiders have lost 32-year old cornerback Chris Johnson for the rest of this year.  They have placed him on the Reserve/non football illness list, ending his season.  He is likely with his family as his sister was killed recently.  Johnson played in 4 games for the Raiders this year and he had 14 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 4 passes defensed.  He has now played in 59 games in his first five years with the Raiders and he has 146 tackles, 8 interceptions (one returned for a TD), 49 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 5 tackles for a loss.

The Oakland Raiders have lost two games in a row by a combined score of 80-32!  But this is a huge game for the Raiders as they are only 1 game behind the Broncos in the AFC West and they are still also very much alive for the wildcard berth in the playoffs.  The Lions got back on the right track in beating the Vikings 34-28 last week.  They also need this game if the want to make it to the playoffs this year.  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 RB Michael Bush to set up Carson Palmer’s play action passing.  Bush should have a good game running against a Lions’ D that is allowing 136.1 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry so far this year.  The Raiders’ O-Line is going to have to give Carson Palmer time to throw the ball.  If he rushes things, he’s going to throw a few passes to the wrong team tomorrow as the Lions have a ball hawking secondary.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Raiders are going to have to get after Matt Stafford.  If he has time to throw the ball, the Raiders are likely in big trouble.  That is because Stafford has a nice arsenal of weapons to throw to in Calvin Johnson, Titus Young, Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler.  The Lions are also getting RB Kevin Smith back, and he will give the Raiders’ D fits as he is averaging 6.9 yards per carry so far this year.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 31, RAIDERS 23

If the Raiders are going to make it to the playoffs, they are going to need 31-year old QB Carson Palmer to step up.  Palmer has played in 7 games for the Raiders so far this year and he has completed 123 of 219 passes (56.2%) for 1,730 yards with 9 TD passes and 13 INTs (70.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 14 times for 14 yards (1.0 ypc) with 1 TD run this year.  The Raiders are going to have to outscore teams to beat them due to how awful the defense has been playing lately.  That will be hard to do as the Raiders play against the Lions, at Kansas City against the Chiefs and at home against the Chargers to finish this year.  So, the Raiders really need Carson Palmer to step up in the last three weeks of the season.

The Raiders stunk it up on both sides of the football yesterday as they were crushed by the Packers.  Carson Palmer had a rough day as he completed 24 of 42 passes for 245 yards with 1 TD pass and 4 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 12 yards (6.0 ypc).  Michael Bush got a lot of work in with 78 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.4 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 19 yards (6.3 avg).  FB Marcel Reece carried the ball 2 times for 12 yards (6.0 ypc) and he caught 4 passes for 5 yards (1.3 avg), but, he lost a fumble that Packers’ LB Erik Walden returned 5 yards for a TD.  WR Darrius Heyward-Bey led the way in the passing game for the Raiders with 78 yards receiving on 5 grabs (15.6 avg).  WR Louis Murphy (4 rec, 70 yards) and TE Kevin Boss (5 rec, 43 yards, TD) also had solid games for the Raiders yesterday.  The Raiders finished up with 117 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 43 passes (55.8%) for 245 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:20.

The defense wasn’t too good for the Raiders yesterday.  LB Rolando McClain led the way on D for the Raiders in this game with 7 tackles, 2 sacks (one of which resulted in a safety).  Safeties Tyvon Branch (5 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and Mike Mitchell (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) made some positive plays for the Raiders in this game.  The Patriots finished up with 136 yards rushing on 24 carries (5.7 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 32 passes (53.1%) for 281 yards in this game.  The Raiders are now 7-6 on the year.

The Raiders got beat up by the Dolphins in Miami last week, which snapped a 3-game winning streak.  They need this game in the worst way as the Broncos have now tied them in the AFC West.  The Packers are rolling as they were challenged last weekend by the Giants, but they prevailed like every other time they have played this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders would be smart to get back to running the ball this weekend.  Michael Bush will likely have a heavy workload in this game against a Packers’ D that is allowing 105.1 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.  The Raiders must give Carson Palmer time to throw the ball this week as the Packers’ secondary is full of ballhawks as they already have 23 interceptions so far this year.  I don’t see the Raiders changing for anyone so they will be running the ball and throwing it deep this Sunday.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Raiders won’t have any chance in this game, unless they get a good pass rush on Aaron Rodgers.  If he has time to throw the ball, he’s going to torch the Raiders’ secondary as he has a lot of playmakers in the passing game.  The Packers are going to pass until they get a lead that they feel safe with.  Then they will turn to Ryan Grant and James Starks to try to grind things out on the ground.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 37, RAIDERS 20