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

Due to all of the recent injuries at WR, 26-year old Chaz Schilens has had a chance to show what he can do the last couple of weeks.  Schilens has caught 10 passes for 147 yards (14.7 avg) in the Raiders’ last two games as he has been stepping up.  Schilens has played in 11 games for the Raiders so far this year and he caught 20 passes for 243 yards (12.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Raiders’ QBs have completed 20 of 28 passes (71.4%) so far this year, so maybe they will start looking his way a bit more.  Schilens has now played in 40 games in his first four years with the Raiders and he has caught 69 passes for 874 yards (12.7 avg) with 7 TD grabs.

The Dolphins were up 34-0 after the first three quarters in this game, before they essentially called off the dogs.  Carson Palmer completed 20 of 41 passes for 273 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (it was returned 34 yards for a TD by LB Kevin Burnett of the Fins).  Michael Bush had a rough time today with only 18 yards rushing on 10 carries (1.8 ypc) and 3 catches for 27 yards (9.0 avg).  FB Marcel Reece pitched in with 10 yards rushing on 1 carry and 38 yards receiving on 1 catch.  WRs Chaz Schilens (6 rec, 89 yards) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (1 rec, 40 yards, TD) led the way for the Raiders in the passing game today.  The Raiders finished up with 46 yards rushing on 14 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 41 passes (48.8%) for 258 yards in this game as they had possession of  the ball for only 21:40.

The Raiders’ D got pushed around by the Dolphins today.  LB Rolando McClain (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and DT John Henderson (7 tackles and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Raiders in this game.  Safety Matt Giordano (5 tackles) and LB Aaron Curry (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) also pitched in for the Raiders today.  The Dolphins finished up with 209 yards rushing on 44 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 25 passes (52%) for 153 yards.  The Raiders are now tied with the Broncos atop the AFC West with a 7-5 record.

The Raiders have won three games in a row and they are 4-1 on the road so far this year.  The Dolphins lost a tough game on Thanksgiving at Dallas, but they have won three of their last four games as they are playing good football right now.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are still a run first team so they are going to be giving the ball a lot to Michael Bush this Sunday.  The Dolphins are only giving up 97.5 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry, so Bush is going to have to fight hard for every yard he gets.  Carson Palmer has been spreading the football around in the passing game and that’s the smart way to go.  That way no one on the team is worth double covering, which is in the Raiders’ favor.  The Dolphins are giving up 248.1 yards passing per game so far this year, so Palmer should have some success throwing the ball this Sunday.

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins are likely going to take aim at the Raiders’ run defense which is allowing 135.3 yards rushing per game and 5.3 yards per carry so far this year.  Reggie Bush and Donald Thomas will likely split the carries pretty even in this game, keeping both of them fresh while giving the defense different looks.  The Raiders have 32 sacks this year, so Matt Moore might not have a lot of time to throw the ball.  It’s lucky for Moore that most of his pass catchers (Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline and Davone Bess) make plays after the catch.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 21, RAIDERS 20

26-year old fullback Marcel Reece is much more than just a blocker.  He has played in 7 games for the Raiders so far this year and he has carried the ball 11 times for 63 yards (5.7 ypc).  Reece has also caught 16 passes for 202 yards (12.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  Reece has now played in 25 games in his first three years with the Raiders and he has carried the ball 41 times for 185 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 43 passes for 555 yards (12.9 avg) with 5 TD grabs for the Raiders.  Reece is outstanding as a secret weapon for the Raiders.

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.