Oakland Raiders vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, CBS
The Raiders win if…
Derek Carr does Derek Carr things in their potential-filled offensive attack.
Ultimately, this analysis seems fairly simple from the outside. By all means, the Oakland passing attack can be as lethal as they want to be, surely able to outscore Blake Bortles’ group on the other side. The Raiders haven’t been perfect, but what else do you expect from a young, developing team with little experience in big moments. Jack Del Rio and his staff understands what they have to throw at opposing defenses on a weekly basis. As of now, Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree might combine to be the best WR duo in the league. There’s no reason to believe Carr can’t have his way on Sunday, even against an above-average Jaguars defensive backfield.
The Jaguars win if…
The secondary can effectively quiet the duo of Crabtree/Cooper.
Another easy route to victory, eh? The line on this game is practically a pick’em, which speaks well to the fact that both of these teams have severe levels of unknown as a whole. Especially in Jacksonville’s case, it’s difficult to predict which team will show up on any given Sunday – the fiery Gus Bradley winners, or the struggling Jaguars that we’ve come to know. Sometimes it truly is as clear-cut as one positional matchup deciding a game. If the Jags can keep Crabtree/Cooper within the average range, they’ll be OK. However, that’s easier said than done against an offense that, when on, can be more than deadly in the passing game.
Raiders travel to Jacksonville and pick up the road win, beat Jaguars, 27-21.