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 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 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

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

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

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

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

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

The Oakland Raiders hope that the bye week gave them the time to sharpen up offensively.  The Broncos are coming off a 45-10 beating at home at the hands of the Detroit Lions.  The Broncos beat the Raiders 23-20 in Denver in the season opener.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders will be without Darren McFadden (foot) in this game, but that doesn’t mean that they will run the ball any less.  Michael Bush is more than capable of handling a heavy workload as the featured back of the offense.  They will also likely give rookie RB Taiwan Jones some touches to show what he can do.  Carson Palmer and his WRs, TEs and RBs all worked hard during the bye week so that they will be in sync tomorrow.  Look for Palmer to attack down the field against the Broncos’ secondary with tosses to Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Raiders will go all out to stop the Broncos’ running game and try to force the Broncos to beat them with Tim Tebow’s left arm.  Willis McGahee is going to try to return tomorrow after missing last week with a broken hand.  The Raiders should be trying to strip him a lot.  The Raiders must also contain Tebow in the pocket, as he is not comfortable throwing from it.  Tebow has been sacked 13 times already this year, so look for the Raiders to blitz way more than usual tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 24, BRONCOS 17

Both these teams are currently on 2 game winning streaks.  The Chiefs are coming off their bye week so they have had two weeks to get ready for the Raiders.  The Raiders have won 10 straight regular season games against AFC West teams.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are starting Kyle Boller at QB this Sunday, so they are going to be run heavy offensively.  Darren McFadden and Michael Bush are both going to get a lot of carries against a Chiefs’ D that is allowing 119.6 yards rushing per game but only 3.8 yards per carry.  Boller will be helped if the Raiders are successful running the ball, as that will set up playaction deep passes to Jacoby Ford, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore.  The Chiefs only have five sacks this year and they are giving up 249.6 yards passing per game.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs have been one of the most balanced offenses so far this year and look for them to try keeping the Raiders’ defense honest tomorrow.  Jackie Battle is going to be the Chiefs’ featured back in this game and the Raiders are giving up 113.2 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry, so he’s going to get his fair share of yards.  The Raiders will have to blitz in this game, because if Matt Cassel has time to throw the ball, he’s going to get it into the hands of Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston quite a bit.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 20, CHIEFS 19