Oakland Raiders: Game breakdown and prediction for Week 3 against Minnesota Vikings

It looks grim for the Oakland Raiders this week as they travel to Skol country, but things may not be as they seem when we look deeper into the matchup.

It was a tough Week 2 for the Oakland Raiders as an opportune first quarter where they went up 10-0 on the Kansas City Chiefs and reigning MVP in Patrick Mahomes gave the team optimism.

One gargantuan second quarter from Mahomes later and the Raiders wound up losing the game 28-10 to drop to 1-1. Now the Raiders travel to Minnesota to take on the run-heavy 1-1 Vikings with a chance at an upset.

On paper, there should be no way the Vikings lose this game. They’re a near 10-point favorite and they’re at home with one of the best defenses in football.

But didn’t we see last year how they completely wet the bed as huge favorites against an (at the time, awful) Buffalo Bills team at home?

Oakland isn’t as much of an underdog as the Bills were last year, but ESPN has the Vikings at a 77.9% chance to win this game and Oakland at 21.9%. Pretty large discrepancy if you ask me.

Don’t get too excited. I don’t have the Raiders winning this game. But I do have a feeling this Raiders team is going to test the home favorites much more than the Vikings would care to be tested.

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Look, right now we know the game plan for Minnesota.

Less Kirk Cousins, which in turn means less Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. More Dalvin Cook and more leaning on the defense to carry the load. Oakland’s secondary isn’t exactly “lockdown,” so maybe that narrative changes this week and Captain Kirk is set loose.

But planning as if the Vikings will run the same offensive game plan as they have the previous two weeks, that probably indicates that the game won’t be too high-scoring. I think that bodes well for a Raiders team that can hang around offensively.

Josh Jacobs and Tyrell Williams got banged up last week against Kansas City, but hopefully their limited participation in practices this week will keep them healthy enough to suit up on Sunday.

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Trent Brown possibly being out at right tackle doesn’t ring too promising either with Danielle Hunter over there on Minnesota’s defensive line.

But where I think this Raiders team can keep it close is if they can somehow limit Cook out of the Vikings backfield. 21 rushing attempts Week 1. 20 rushing attempts last week. 2-3 targets per game. The Vikings’ game plan is laid out for the Raiders to try and get a jump on.

Maybe if they can make Cousins drop back more and slow Cook down a bit, the Raiders might be able to make something crazy happen.

I have the game finishing 26-20 in favor of Minnesota. If Oakland can speed this game up and maybe get out to an early lead, they might very well have a decent shot here.