Oakland Raiders
v.
San Francisco 49ers
Oakland Raiders (1-6) at San Francisco (1-7) - Okay, right off the bat, when you see the combined records of these two teams, you will hardly fail to notice that this is not exactly anyone's idea of a Super Bowl preview. Oakland is alone with the worst record in the AFC, while San Francisco is tied with my Giants for the worst record in the NFC. Only one team has allowed more points than the 49ers, while the Raiders have had clear struggles with an offense that should look a whole lot better than they do. Some thought that the return to coaching of Jon Gruden would help to turn the Raiders around, but that simply has not happened. True, they are in a very tough division - possibly the best division in the league - with the Chiefs leading the pack in the AFC with a 7-1 record, and the highest scoring offense in the league, and the Chargers on a massive winning streak and with an impressive 5-2 record themselves. Even the third place Broncos appear tough, despite a 3-5 record, and they may be better than their record suggests. The 'Niners only managed to win one game earlier this season against Detroit, just before their starting quarterback, Jimmy Garroppolo, went down for the season. But San Fran has been hurting with injuries all season. Perhaps that has contributed strongly to their struggles, particularly on defense. This team has allowed 27 points or more in six of their eight games. That will make it tough to win, especially when the star QB goes down. The offense has shown sparks, but not enough to be a regular contender, or even to muster more than that one win, although they did tighten up against the Cardinals last weekend. Like San Francisco, the Raiders have also had issues trying to stop opponents. There has not been a game yet this season where they have contained their opponents to under 20 points, and they have allowed at least 26 points or more in six of their seven games. When you struggle on offense, like Oakland has, allowing that many points per game is clearly not a formula for success, and that accounts for why the Raiders have won only one game (and just barely, at that!). The Raiders have gotten blown out in each of their last three games, to boot. Bottom line: both teams need to stop the bleeding. For the 49ers, this is the first of two straight games that they have to feel are winnable (well, three, if you include the game at Arizona last week, although they already lost that one). They host both the Raiders and then the Giants. You have to figure that they are hungry to win at least one of those, if not both. Plus, they played well, especially defensively, against the Cardinals, and very nearly won that game. probably should have won it, for that matter. For Oakland, this is also a game that they have to feel good about their chances. True, it's technically a road game, but it is still nevertheless in their backyard, relatively speaking. It is a local rivalry, even though the two teams are not in the same division, or even conference. Admittedly, I did not believe that either of these two teams was necessarily going to be great, but it has come as a bit of a surprise with just how bad each has been thus far. These are two of the most storied franchises in the NFL dating back to the seventies and eighties, and now, they are among the worst teams in the league. So, this will be interesting, and it could be either team's game. Indeed, this is a tough one to call, but I'll go with my gut here on this one. My pick: Oakland
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