Raiders vs. Titans

On September 10th, the Raiders play their first game of thesSeason against The Tennessee Titans. The silver and black have high hopes for this season with the return of Derek Carr and Marshawn Lynch.

On this week’s Talking Touchdowns, I take a look at the matchup:

Same Old Beast?

With Marshawn Lynch sitting out the 2016 season, can he come back and still dominate as a Top 10 running back at 31 years old? This will be our first real look to see if “In Beastmode We Trust.”

Numbers On The Board

Tennessee has one of the most up-and-coming high-powered offenses in the league, thanks to Marcus Mariota and his various weapons. They could look to go up early through the air if they catch Oakland slipping. Don’t forget that Carr had the Raiders running as the #7 scoring offense in 2016 and has upgraded its offense as well. Vegas has set the over/under at 50.5 for this week one matchup—the highest point predicted total for any game in week one.

Keeping Up With Carr

The Raiders’ offensive line struggled to keep Derek Carr’s jersey clean last season. There’s a lot of pressure to set the tone early and let other teams know that the second highest paid quarterback in the league isn’t going to be knocked down. If they can give him enough time in the pocket, it should pay off. Last year the Titans gave up the third most passing yards per game in the NFL and they haven’t made any significant upgrades in the secondary.

Contain The Titans Backfield

DeMarco Murray was a big surprise last season moving over to Tennessee after a failed tenure in Philly. He put up about 1,600 yards from scrimmage and 12 scores. They always have Alabama alum, Derrick Henry at 6’3 240 lbs. to come in for relief. The majority of the focus will be on Mariota, but if Oakland can keep the Titans’ running game from getting four or five yards on the first few downs, they should be able to control the possession clock and pick up a quality win on the road. Speaking of…

No Place Like Home?

Vegas also opened up with the Titans as a two-point favorite. You can’t ignore the fact that it’s incredibly tough to win on the road in the NFL, but with Oakland looking like a legit Super Bowl contender, the Raiders have to feel a bit overlooked being the underdogs to kick off the season even though they are at the top for AFC preseason favorites.

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