The Raiders won an emotional game in Houston last weekend, a day after the death of team owner Al Davis.  It will be interesting to see what they will have left tomorrow against the Cleveland Browns.  I don’t think the fans in the Black Hole will let the Raiders have a let down in this game.  The Browns had two weeks to get ready for the Raiders as they had a bye last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders aren’t going to change a thing this weekend as they are going to run the football and chuck it deep.  The Browns have a pretty good front seven but they are still giving up 124.5 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  So Darren McFadden and Michael Bush should get their fair share of yards in this game.  Jason Campbell doesn’t have a favorite receiver at this point and that will work well this weekend against the Browns, who won’t likely double anyone.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Raiders will first have to try to stop Peyton Hillis and the Browns’ running game.  The Raiders are giving up 122.8 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry so far this year, so it won’t be easy.  Colt McCoy of the Browns has only been sacked 7 times this year and he buys time with his feet.  If the Raiders don’t put pressure on him, McCoy could have a solid game by moving the ball around to Mohamed Massaquoi, Greg Little, Josh Cribbs, Ben Watson, Evan Moore and Peyton Hillis in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 23, BROWNS 20

The Oakland Raiders are going to try to rebound from a tough loss last weekend in the Black Hole against the Patriots.  They have a tough task ahead of them as the Texans are 2-0 at home this year as they have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 51-17!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the football:  The Raiders are going to get back to what they like to do this weekend in Houston….and that’s run the football.   Darren McFadden and Michael Bush will be taking aim at a Texans’ D that is giving up 108.8 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.  They should have success on the ground which will set up play action passing.  Jason Campbell has a big arm and he likes throwing deep.  The Texans are a big time blitzing team as they already have 12 sacks this year, but the Raiders’ O-Line has been excellent this year as Campbell has only been sacked 2 times.  If Campbell has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have a big game this Sunday.  Also, look for the Raiders to throw a few short passes for TE Kevin Boss to make the Texans pay for blitzing.

When the Texans have the ball:  WR Andre Johnson is out for this game for the Texans due to injury.  With that in mind the Raiders will likely cheat an extra player or two into the box to deal with Arian Foster.  The Raiders are giving up 136.0 yards rushing per game and a stunning 5.9 yards per carry, so they have to be really worried with Foster who carved up the Steelers’ D last weekend.  The Raiders need to blitz a lot of passing downs, as Matt Schaub is a pocket passer.  WR Jacoby Jones will take over Andre Johnson’s old starting spot but that’s a huge dropoff.  Kevin Walter, Owen Daniels, James Casey and Arian Foster are going to catch a lot of short stuff in this game.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 21, RAIDERS 20

The Oakland Raiders pounded the Jets last week in the Black Hole and they are going to try to repeat that feat this Sunday with the New England Patriots paying a visit.  The Patriots lost on the road in a shootout with the Bills last weekend in Buffalo.   Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are averaging 185.0 yards rushing per game and 5.5 yards per carry, so look for them to come out running the ball on the Patriots.  Darren McFadden and Michael Bush are going to get a ton of carries this weekend as the Raiders will try to control both the ball and the clock.  The Raiders have done a great job of protecting QB Jason Campbell as he has only been sacked 2 times so far this year.  The Patriots are giving up 377.0 yards passing per game this year, so look for the Raiders to open up the offense with deep throws to rookie WR Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford (if he can play).

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots are going to come out of the locker room throwing the football.  The Raiders are going to try to get a solid pass rush on Brady as they already have 10 sacks so far this year.  But, it won’t be easy as Brady has only been sacked 3 times so far this year.  Brady will be getting rid of the ball quickly to Wes Welker and TE Rob Gronkowski in an effort to make the Raiders pay for blitzing them.  Look for Deion Branch and Danny Woodhead to also be more involved in the passing attack than they were last weekend.  The front seven is going to have to handle the Patriots’ running game as the secondary is going to have to worry about the pass first this weekend.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 35, RAIDERS 34

The Raiders are heading back to the Black Hole for the home opener this weekend against the impressive New York Jets.  The Raiders need to come out ready to fight as the Jets are a very physical team, just like they are.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders aren’t going to change for this game.  They are going to feed the ball to Darren McFadden and Michael Bush and then throw deep off of play action to their WRs.  Denarius Moore had a huge game last weekend and he is in for a huge challenge against CBs Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.  That being said, Jason Campbell has only been sacked 1 time this year, so the Jets’ corners are going to have to maintain coverage for a long time this Sunday and they could have breakdowns.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Jets are likely going to try to turn Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson loose on the Raiders, who are giving up 6.7 yards per carry and 127.5 yards rushing per game.  The Raiders need to win the battle against the Jets’ O-Line and RBs with the front seven as the secondary is going to have their hands full.  The Raiders’ safeties are going to have to find a way to take TE Dustin Keller out of the game while also helping the corners over the top against WRs Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress.  The Raiders will need to blitz a lot this weekend on passing downs as Mark Sanchez still makes mistakes with the ball when he has defensive players in his face.

PREDICTION:  JETS 23, RAIDERS 17

Not many “experts” would have thought this game would pit two 1-0 teams against each other in Buffalo.  But both teams are coming off impressive victories.  This is going to step up to be a very interesting battle and here’s what the matchups look like:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are not going to change for any defense.  They are going to run the ball to set up some deep passes off play action.  The Bills had issues last week with the Chiefs running game as they ran for 108 yards and 6.0 yards per carry.  Darren McFadden’s speed is going to give the Bills’ defense fits this Sunday.  OLBs Shawne Merriman and Chris Kelsay are going to have a hard time setting up a perimeter on the D to deal with McFadden.  Michael Bush will also get in on the action, slamming at the interior of the Bills’ D.  The Raiders’ O-Line did a great job last week as Jason Campbell was only sacked one time last weekend.  The Bills are not a great pass rushing team, so Campbell should have time to throw the ball and have some success.

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are likely to have a very similar offensive gameplan as the Raiders will.  The front seven is going to have to stop Fred Jackson (112 yards rushing, 5.6 ypc) and that’s not going to easy.  But the Raiders did hold the Broncos to only 38 yards rushing on 13 carries (2.9 ypc) last week, which was impressive.  The Raiders had five sacks last weekend, so they are going to try to get to Ryan Fitzpatrick before he throws the ball.  He threw 4 TD passes last weekend against the Chiefs.  The Raiders are likely going to double team Steve Johnson and dare the Bills to beat them by throwing the ball to someone else.  That means that safeties Michael Huff and Tyvon Branch are going to have to stop Bills’ TE Scott Chandler (5 rec, 63 yards, 2 TDs).

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 20, BILLS 17

The Oakland Raiders swept the Broncos last year as they beat them by a combined score of 98-37!  Although a lot of changes have been made by both teams, the Raiders have to feel bulletproof heading into Monday Night’s tilt in Denver.  Here are a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to come out running the ball.  Darren McFadden rushed for 284 yards on 36 carries (7.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs against the Broncos last year.  They look like they are going to be softer than a roll of charmin on the interior of the D, so look for Michael Bush to also get a lot of work in on Monday Night.  The Raiders are sure to break out the trick plays too as WR Jacoby Ford carried the ball 3 times for 100 yards (33.3 ypc) with a TD run against the Broncos last year.  With starting TE Kevin Boss out of this game, look for the Raiders’ passing game to be vertical.  If Jason Campbell has time to throw the ball, he’s going to be heaving it deep to Jacoby Ford, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos are going to be more balanced this year.  Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee are going to likely share the load in the running game against the Raiders.  MLB Rolando McClain and DTs Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly should be up for the challenge.  The Raiders are going to need OLBs Kamerion Wimbley and Quentin Groves to get to Kyle Orton, or he’s going to have some success throwing the ball.  Brandon Lloyd is an acrobat and Eddie Royal is a very solid WR on the other side.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 24, BRONCOS 17

The Raiders really want this game so they can finish 8-8 on the season.  They beat the Chiefs earlier this year 23-20 in O.T. at the Black Hole.  But, the Chiefs are 7-0 at home and they are likely to play all of their regulars as they want to keep the #3 seed in the playoffs.  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 Darren McFadden and Michael Bush as the Raiders are averaging 152.3 yards rushing per game and 4.9 ypc.  If the Raiders establish a running game then it will make things much easier for Jason Campbell and the passing game.  The Raiders will take some deep shots in the passing game against the Chiefs who are giving up 225.6 yards passing per game so far this year.  Having success throwing the ball will depend on the O-Line for the Raiders because Campbell will need a lot of time to throw the ball and if he gets it look for Jacoby Ford, Zach Miller and Louis Murphy to make some plays.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are likely going to come out running the ball so the Raiders will likely have to key on stopping Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones.  The Raiders also have to be very careful not to overplay the run as Matt Cassel is deadly off playaction.  Dwayne Bowe is a matchup nightmare for the Raiders because of his size/speed combo.

PREDICTION:  CHIEFS 27, RAIDERS 24

The Raiders can win the AFC West with two wins in the last two weeks and some help.  They are going to come out ready to rock in the Black Hole this Sunday where they are 5-2.  The Colts are tied with the Jaguars for first place in the AFC South so they need this game too.  The Colts just aren’t the same team on the road where they are 3-4 on the season.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to pound away at the Colts’ D with Darren McFadden, Michael Bush and Marcel Reece.  The Colts are giving up 135.8 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year so McFadden and the other backs should have good games.  The Raiders will slow the Colts’ pass rush with playaction passes to speedy WRs Louis Murphy, Jacoby Ford at TE Zach Miller. 

When the Colts have the ball:  The Raiders have 40 sacks already this year so they are going to be coming after Peyton Manning all day long.  The Raiders should also double cover Reggie Wayne and make Manning try to beat them by throwing to someone else.  The Raiders also can’t overlook the Colts’ running game which came alive last weekend with Donald Brown.  Joseph Addai will also be back this weekend, giving the Raiders even more to worry about.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 27, COLTS 23

The Raiders are likely very happy to see the Denver Broncos coming in for a visit tomorrow.  The Raiders pasted the Broncos 59-14 earlier this year in Denver and they are 4-0 against teams in the AFC West.  The Raiders are also a very solid 4-2 in the Black Hole this year.  The Broncos got punished 43-13 last week by the Cardinals in Eric Studesville’s debut as a NFL head coach.  The Broncos have lost 4 games in a row and 8 of their last 9.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to keep going with what works.  That means they are going to tighten up the chinstraps and punch the Broncos in the mouth with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.  The Broncos are giving up 150.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so I see the Raiders being very successful running the ball this Sunday.  If the Broncos try to sneak extra defenders in the box to stop the run, that’s when Jason Campbell is going to attack them deep off play-action to WRs Jacoby Ford & Louis Murphy.

When the Broncos have the ball:  With Kyle Orton’s arm hurting, I look for the Broncos to also try to run the ball a lot more than usual in this game.  Knowshon Moreno will likely have a really heavy workload.  The Raiders will try to get in Kyle Orton’s face (they have 38 sacks) and force him into making some mistakes.  They also might be able to knock him out of the game which would bring in Tim Tebow.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 38, BRONCOS 13

The Raiders looked good last week in pasting the Chargers 28-13.  But the Raiders are 0-2 east of the Mississippi this year and they have lost by a combined score of 73-16!  The Jaguars are hot right now as they have won four of their last five games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to feed the ball to Darren McFadden & Michael Bush against a Jags’ D that is allowing 109.5 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  If the Raiders get a running game going then look for Jason Campbell to take some shots down the field to Louis Murphy and Jacoby Ford against a Jags’ pass D that is allowing 252.9 yards passing per game.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to feed the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings against a Raiders’ D that is allowing 124.3 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  Most of the Jaguars’ passing game is likely going to come off play action passes down the field to Mike Thomas and Mike Sims-Walker (if he’s ready to give it a go in this game).  The Jags’ TEs (Marcedes Lewis and Zach Miller) will also be active for the Jags.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 26, RAIDERS 17