The Oakland Raiders (5-10) have been very inconsistent all season but they have an opportunity to spoil the Baltimore Ravens (8-7) playoff hopes on Sunday.  If the Raiders beat the Ravens then they are out of the playoffs, but if the Raiders lose then the Ravens will clinch a spot in the playoffs.  The Raiders would love to crush the Ravens season, but it will not be easy.  The Ravens are the better team and are playing for a lot more.  The Raiders quarterback situation has been awful all season, and despite throwing three interceptions last week Charlie Frye is the starter again.  The Ravens secondary has not been very strong lately, so the Raiders only hope are some big plays down field.

Joe Flacco has had a very solid season for the Ravens at quarterback, but if the Raiders can somehow force Flacco into some bad throws they will have a chance.  The Ravens lead the NFL in penalty yards, so if the Raiders can rattle Flacco and the offense they may start hurting themselves with penalties.  The Ravens are playing for their playoff lives though, and they are the better football team, so I don’t see the Raiders winning this one.

PREDICTION:  Oakland Raiders 13, Baltimore Ravens 27

The one good thing about the game this Sunday is that the clock won’t be stopping much as both teams are going to tighten up the chinstrap and run the football.  Michael Bush had a huge game last week but he will have to share some carries with Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas against a Browns’ D that is allowing 149.6 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  When the Raiders do have to throw the ball they will likely attack the corners of the Browns who have been giving up big plays especially Brandon McDonald.  That means that Louis Murphy could have a big game if Charlie Frye can get him the football.

The Raiders have to key on Jerome Harrison who rushed for 286 yards and 3 TDs last Sunday against the Chiefs.  They would also been smart not to kick the ball to Josh Cribbs.  If the Raiders can take those two guys out of the game then they will have a good shot of winning in Cleveland on Sunday.  QB Derek Anderson is prone to throwing the ball into coverage and the Raiders’ CBs will make him pay for it if he tries it too much on Sunday.

PREDICTION:  BROWNS 17, RAIDERS 16

The Oakland Raiders did not fair too well against the Denver Broncos in their first meeting this season, and things are not looking too good going into Sunday’s game.  Bruce Gradkowski is out, and since JaMarcus Russell has been a disaster this season Charlie Frye is going to be the starting quarterback for the Raiders.  He has thrown for 3,573 yards and has 16 touchdowns compared to 25 interceptions in his career.  He is not exactly your ideal starting quarterback, so I’m guessing the Raiders offense is going to look pretty bad.

Defensively, the Raiders need to make sure they stay with Broncos’ receiver Brandon Marshall.  Marshall caught an NFL record 21 passes last week for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns.  If he has another game even close to that the Raiders probably wont have a chance.  Kyle Orton likes to look his way a lot, so maybe the Raiders can jump some routes and get an interception or too.  They are going to need some turnovers if they want to win this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Denver Broncos 24, Oakland Raiders 10

The Oakland Raiders (4-8) have been finding more success with Bruce Gradkowski as their quarterback, and they will be looking to continue some of that success against the Washington Redskins (3-9).  The Redskins are better then what their record shows, as they have lost a lot of close games.  The Raiders defense is pretty weak at stopping the run, but fortunately for them the Skins’ running backs are banged up.  Both Clinton Portis and LaDell Betts are out, so Quinton Ganther will start and share the carries with Rock Cartwright.  Although they are not the Redskins’ top backs, they are still solid NFL running backs so the Raiders need to bring it.  Jason Campbell had a big day in the air last week against the Saints, but he has been inconsistent and has thrown 12 interceptions this season.

Justin Fargas has had two solid games in a row for the Raiders at running back, but they are looking for him to take it to the next level.  The Redskins give up 121 rushing yards per game, so Fargas will have opportunities to make some plays.  Bruce Gradkowski makes this team go though, and when he plays well they have come from behind to win games.  If Gradkowski plays well the Raiders will have a great shot at winning as the Redskins cannot hold a lead.  Still, I’m going with the Redskins in a close one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Washington Redskins 24, Oakland Raiders 20

The Oakland Raiders are away this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Unfortunately for the Raiders, Ben Roethlisberger is back for the Steelers after missing last week with a concussion.  Roethlisberger won’t have to do too much though, and will be handing the ball off a lot since the Raiders really struggle at stopping the run.  Rashard Mendenhall will likely run all over the Raiders weak run-defense and this could be a tough game for the Raiders defense.

The Raiders offense has been awful all year, especially their passing game.  Bruce Gradkowski has been much more effective than JaMarcus Russell, but that is not saying much at all.  The Steelers have a great run-defense so they are going to need Gradkowski to have a big game.  Gradkowski is not the type of guy to win a game on his own, so this will likely be another blowout loss for the Raiders.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Oakland Raiders 7, Pittsburgh Steelers 28