Oakland Raiders: A Few Predictions For Week Two Game With Falcons

Raiders Win The Game

The Raiders have had a bit of a problem winning back to back games in recent seasons. And the last time they won back to back games to open the season was 2002 – the year they got blown out in the Super Bowl.

That – like many things – is going to change this season. The expectations surrounding this team are high and they are loaded with more talent than they have been since that 2002 squad. The Raiders showed last week that they have the offensive firepower to compete with anybody in the league.

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Carr and the Raiders offense went toe to toe with one of the NFL’s most dynamic offensive units and came out on top. Like prize fighters, they traded blows in that fourth quarter and were the ones left standing.

Offensively, this Raiders squad has what it takes to be among the best in the league. Now, what they need is a defense that can match that fire and intensity. A defense that can play championship caliber football.

Week one was a bump in the road and exposed a few weaknesses in Oakland’s game. Though the offense made plays when it needed to make them the most, the defense just squeaked by. But after being humbled by the Saints – and a week of practice that likely included a lot of yelling and screaming by Del Rio and his coaching staff – expect this Raiders defensive unit to come out fired up.

Expect to see the Raiders get a ferocious and sustained pass rush on Ryan and the Falcons. Expect to see Oakland’s secondary clamp down on Atlanta’s big, physical receivers. Expect to see a defense that is out there with something to prove. And expect to see a Raiders offense that will be just as explosive in week two as they were in week one.

Add that all up, and you can expect to see the Raiders win their second game in as many games this season