Oakland Raiders Week 15 Matchup Breakdown

Dallas Cowboys @ Oakland Raiders
12/17/17 @ 8:30 PM EST

The visiting Dallas Cowboys opened as a three-point favorite over the Oakland Raiders, who’ll be playing their final home game of the season in this primetime Sunday night affair. The over/under opened at 46 points.

Last week, the Raiders’ game at Kansas City had an over/under line of 47.5. It was the Raiders’ fault it did not go over. Kansas City opened a 26-0 lead against the Raiders who could not move the ball for the first three quarters of the game. Oakland, which at 6-7 is still clinging to some playoff hopes because the AFC is weak, did score 15 points in garbage time in the fourth quarter.

The reason why the game against Dallas may stay on the under side is because of Oakland’s offense again. This offense has been out of sync all season. We are 13 games into the season. This is what Oakland’s offense is. It is uneven and can’t be trusted.

Dallas, however, is seemingly turning the corner on offense without star running back Ezekiel Elliott. In the first three games of Elliott’s six-game NFL suspension, Dallas scored seven, nine and six points, all defeats. However, in the past two weeks Dallas scored 38 and 30 points, both victories.

While Oakland’s defense has improved some in the three games that John Pagano took over for the fired Ken Norton Jr as defensive coordinator, it is still suspect, especially against quality opponents.
Dallas should be able to have its way with Oakland’s defense.

The Raiders’ secondary is very beatable. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott could slice Oakland apart. He has thrown five touchdown passes and no interceptions in the past two games. He has a lot of weapons. This could be very dangerous for Oakland. Expect Prescott to some explosive plays. Oakland’s defense is famous for giving up explosive plays. A perfect example came at Kansas City on Sunday when Chiefs’ quarterback Alex Smith hit receiver Tyreek Hill for a 17-yard pass play on third down and 16. That’s inexcusable, but that’s Oakland’s defense.

However, Oakland’s pass-rush has improved in the past three games. Twelve of Oakland’s 26 sacks have come in the past three weeks. Oakland linebacker Bruce Irvin has been bringing the heat. He has had five of his 7.5 sacks this season in the past three games, reigning NFL Defensive Player of the year Khalil Mack has been a streaky sacker his entire four-season career. He’s on a hot streak again. He has had a sack in each of his past four games after having just a half sack in a five-game stretch. Mack has 8.5 sacks this season. However, the Raiders have played some weak offensive lines in the past three games in the form of the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and the Giants. Dallas has one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and has allowed just 25 sacks this season. So, Oakland will be challenged to get to Prescott. However, getting to his is essential for the Raiders.

Offensively, the Raiders have to protect quarterback Derek Carr. Dallas has 32 sacks and can get to the quarterback. Carr has struggled this season when pressured. He often does not look comfortable. Dallas will try to rattle Carr, who looks far from the legitimate MVP candidate he was last year.
The Raiders need to start fast to get their confidence back and get the fans into the game after the disaster In Kansas City. The Raiders were three-and-out kings in Kansas City and quickly fell behind 16-0. Oakland has to score early and it must keep running back Marshawn Lynch involved in the game. He only had seven carries against Kansas City because Oakland fell behind and had to abandon the run game.

However, the issue here is the Raiders struggle against good teams. Dallas looks like a good team and it matches up well against the Raiders. Oakland can stay in this game, but it may have difficultly winning the game.

Prediction: Cowboys 24, Raiders 20

Check out all the matchup info at, https://www.lineups.com/nfl/matchups/2017/12-17/dal-cowboys-oak-raiders

Post
Bill Williamson has been covering the NFL for 21 straight seasons. He has been a newspaper beat writer in four NFL cities and he spent eight years covering the league at ESPN.

Hot NFL Stories