Hey Raider Nation, I am back with another talking touchdowns and with back-to-back Raiders wins. Even with Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree out, we still got the victory over the Giants, beating them 24-17 and now are 6-6. Welcome to the wild, wild AFC West guys! The Raiders are tied atop the AFC west with Chargers and the Chiefs with only 4 games left! Aah!
But here is what you should know about the game against the Giants.
Oakland Raiders vs. New York Giants
The Raiders started off with a bang scoring on their first possession with Beastmode’s breakaway 51-yard touchdown run. It looked like Lynch tweaked something but that did not stop him from getting his first 1000yard game of the season. Cordarelle Patterson was an absolute monster in this game, finishing with four catches for 97 yards, one that sealed the deal for the Raiders.
The passing defense was iffy but the pass rush was consistent and that was the difference. The Raiders were able to pressure Giants QB Geno Smith a season high 24 times in this game. Khalil Mack’s strip sack was one for the books. Mack stripped through the tackle and just took the ball out of Smith’s hands. It was attack of the mack in full effect!
The Raiders run defense was pretty darn good, as Justin Ellis and Navorro Bowman have refueled a resurgent run defense.
This was the epitome of “Just Win, Baby” because they didn’t win pretty, but they did manage to win and that’s all that matters.
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Up next we have the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium and this is a must-win game for us. They have lost 6 out of their last 7 games after having a 5-0 start. They are hanging onto a lead in the AFC West by the skin of their teeth.
They are going to go hard, because they need to snap a four-game losing streak and take control of the AFC West. The Chiefs are falling apart. They’ve lost to the Giants, the Bills and the Jets, teams that have a combined record of 13-19. They had a 14-point lead over the Jets last week and still lost.
The Raiders though are playing their best ball of the season right now and have shown improved ability to run the ball. Oh, and they are getting Michael Crabtree back.
The Raider defense has been playing better lately. They’ve been able to limit opposing offenses to under 300 total yards the past two weeks, but they are going to have to come up with some fumble recoveries and interceptions this week. The offense is going to have to step up big time in this one. They need to get Lynch running the ball and open up the passing game with Crabtree and Cooper. Basically, all the boys need to play really fundamentally sound football.
Game Prediction
Even though we are tied for first in the AFC, we still have to face the Chargers, the EAGLES and the Cowboys, so we need to set the tone with a win over the Chiefs and take it one game at a time. Like Del Rio said, “Just one at a time. Just like we’ve been doing. We’ve been purposeful in our work.” This game will be too close for comfort but the Raiders will take this one, 27-24. Sorry Chiefs Fangirl, but we got this.
[NFL-Raiders-footer]Photo Credits:
- Oakland Raiders on Wikimedia Commonsby Oakland Raiders
- Amari Cooper on wikimedia commonsby Erik Drost
- Los Angeles Chargers on Wikimedia Commonsby San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers
- Kansas City Chiefs on Wikimedia Commons by Kansas City Chiefs
- New York Giants on Wikimedia Commons by New York Giants
- Khalil Mack on wikimedia commons by Jeffrey Beall
- Marshawn Lynch on Wikipedia by Keith Allison
- Cordarrelle Patterson on Wikimedia Commons by Jeffrey Beall
- Justin Ellis on Wikimedia Commons by Jeffrey Beall
- Kansas City Chiefs on Wikimedia Commons by Kansas City Chiefs
- New York Giants on Wikimedia Commons by New York Giants
- Buffalo Bills blue on Wikimedia Commons by Moe Epsilon
- New York Jets on Wikimedia Commonsby New York Jets
- Michael Crabtree on Wikipedia by Keith Allison
- Amari Cooper on wikimedia commons by Erik Drost
- Los Angeles Chargers on Wikimedia Commons by San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers
- Eagles on Wikimedia Commons by Philadelphia Eagles
- Cowboys on Wikimedia Commons by Dallas Cowboys
