Over the next few days, I'm going to take a look at the Raiders' schedule and show how the Raiders and their opponents match up. You may be surprised at how well they stack up against some of these opponents.
This is part two of four, and I will cover four games at a time.
In my previous prediction, I had the Oakland Raiders going 3-1, with victories over the Broncos, at home, and the Chiefs and Bills on the road, before going into the bye week.
Coming out of the bye week, the Raiders will face a pretty big test when they travel to New Orleans to take on Drew Brees and the Saints.
Week Five: Bye
Can't lose this one.
Week Six: Raiders at Saints
Last meeting: 31-26 Saints win in Oakland, 2004.
Last year, the Saints underachieved, to say the least. After coming off a surprise NFC Championship appearance in Chicago, 2006's Cinderella team dropped to 7-9.
The Saints offense remained one of the league's best—reaching 13th in scoring, fourth in passing, but a mediocre 28th in rushing. That can be attributed to injuries to running backs Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister.
This year, if the offense remains healthy, and with the new addition of Jeremy Shockey from the Giants, the Saints' offense could be a real challenge for Oakland's defense.
The Saints' defense, on the other hand, was just the opposite, finishing an embarrassing 25th in points allowed, 26th against the pass, but 13th against the run. The run defense should be even better with the additions of LB Jonathan Vilma from the Jets and DT Sedrick Ellis in the draft.
The secondary picked up a couple of players in Randall Gay and Aaron Glenn, who may or may not contribute.
So it is really strength vs. strength and weakness vs. weakness between these two teams, with the Saints' aerial attack against the Raiders' secondary, and the Raiders' trio of backs vs. the Saints' run defense.
The winner will be the team with better QB play and who stops the other team's strength. Since the Saints have already proven their strengths, and the fact that the Saints are at home, I'll give New Orleans the edge in this one.
Final: Saints win 31-20.
Week Seven: Jets at Raiders
Last Meeting: Jets win 23-3 in New York, 2006
The Jets' offseason was nearly as busy as the Raiders'. With new additions such as LB Calvin Pace, DT Chris Jenkins, and rookie OLB Vernon Gholston on defense, there are high expectations for improvement in last year's 29th ranking against the run.
However, the Raiders' rushing attack should more than be able to cope with them. Those additions may not be enough to stop the three-headed monster that is known as Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden, and Michael Bush, who will surely give defensive coordinator Bob Sutton headaches.
The Jets' offense was rather pathetic last year, scoring just under 17 points a game. The passing offense still has no real gamebreaking threat at receiver/tight end, the quarterback situation is a mess, and it remains to be seen whether Thomas Jones can carry the load for an entire season.
The Raiders' defense should be plenty capable to stop the Jets' offense, and the offense should be able to score without too much trouble on the Jets' re-worked defense, using the same formula they used on the Broncos, running, more running, and only passing when necessary.
Final: Raiders win, 24-10
Week Eight: Raiders at Ravens
Last Meeting: Ravens win 28-6, in Baltimore, 2006
The Ravens have been known throughout the decade for their amazing defense. The only problem is that now the decade is almost over, and the defense has aged considerably. How long can they hold up? I'll guess, at most, one or two more seasons, so, for this prediction, they will be a factor.
They have some new players, including former Raiders' cornerback Fabian Washington, who, by all accounts, is no loss. I can't count on two hands the number of big plays given up or the number of tackles he missed last year alone.
The Ravens' offense, which already had issues even moving the ball last year, let alone scoring, lost QB Steve McNair and LT, and perennial All-Pro, Jonathan Ogden to retirement, along with C Matt Flynn, Devard Darling at WR, and backup RB Musa Smith.
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