Three bold predictions for the Raiders as they host the Giants

It’s Friday which means it’s time to do my bold predictions for this weekend’s Raiders vs. Giants game. And as always, before I get to this week’s predictions, we need to do a recap of last week’s predictions. So let’s get right to it.

LAST WEEK’S PREDICTIONS

1 - Oakland gets two interceptions

Oh man, so close. But hey, I’m really not upset since the Raiders have finally ended what was one of the more embarrassing streaks in recent memory. That’s right, Oakland has an interception. Sure, it’s only one so this prediction did not come true. But Oakland was oh so close to a second interception late in the game. Trevor Siemian came in for the injured Paxton Lynch. He led the team on one touchdown drive and was in the process of leading them on a second when an ill advised pass went right through the hands of Karl Joseph. It was a ball that absolutely should have been picked and likely caused nightmares for Joseph after he missed it.

2 - Oakland gets three or more sacks

Well what do ya know! We have a winner here. The Raiders ended their game against Denver with five sacks, two more than my bold prediction had them getting and more than they’ve gotte in any single game this season. For the first time all year long, the pass rush looked close to what we expected it would look like. After an offseason of hope that this defensive line would finally develop into the monster we all thought it could be, it’s been mostly disappointment when it comes to the pass rush. But not on Sunday against Denver and hopefully, with John Pagano at the reigns, the pass rush will continue to look must improved.

3 - Raiders win by two scores

This one really should have come true, to be honest. The Raiders were up 21-0 before allowing the Broncos to score 14 unanswered points. the final score was 21-14 but Oakland really should have been able to finish with a two score lead. For one thing, they missed a rather make-able field goal in the fourth quarter. That alone would have made it a two score win. But in general, the team went into conservative play mode after going up 21-0 and rather than extend the lead, they ended up letting Denver get back into the game.

And with that, I now have nine correct predictions and 24 incorrect. What a season.

THIS WEEK’S PREDICTIONS

1 - Raiders defense holds the Giants to under 14 points

Game two for the John Pagano led defense and a chance to show that the improvement we saw last week wasn’t a fluke. Ok, so this Giants team doesn’t have a very good offense. No real weapons with Odell Beckham Jr. out and they opted to go with Geno Smith at quarterback over Eli Manning, a decision that still makes zero sense. But at the same time, this was one of the worst defenses in the league before Pagano took over and they have not held a single opponent to under 14 points yet this season.

2 - Oakland forces at least two turnovers

If they are going to hold the Giants to under 14 points, a big part of getting that done will be to force turnovers. Plus, if the Raiders want to make a run for the playoffs in general, forcing more turnovers will be key. It was one of their biggest strengths last season but has been one of their biggest weaknesses this season. Oakland is currently dead last in the league in takeaways and it’s been a major part of the reason this team has struggled so much. But now that they’ve finally recorded a pick, hopefully the turnovers will start flowing more freely for the Raiders.

3 - Derek Carr goes for 300 yards and 2 TDs

Even though Carr will be without his top two receivers, I’m predicting a big day for the Oakland gunslinger. Carr has not been nearly as good this season as he was in 2016 but in recent weeks he has looked improved. Now that we have seen the defense take a step forward, I am hoping Carr will be next. And even though Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper will be out, it’s not crazy to think Carr could have a great game. back when he was excelling in 2016, he was known for spreading the ball out, often times ending the game with completions to 10 or more players. Crabtree and Cooper are very good players but WR is the deepest position group on this team and both Seth Roberts and Cordarrelle Patterson are capable of having big games.