Oakland Raiders: Win-Loss Predictions For Every Game In 2015

Aug 15, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Rod Streater (80) attempts to elude Detroit Lions safety Jerome Couplin (46) at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Week 11 – @ Detroit Lions

The third match up against an NFC North team is a trip to Detroit to face the Lions. The Lions have a vertical offense lead by Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson but it can become predictable at times. If you can stop Johnson then the rest of the offense can come to a grinding halt but that is easier said than done.

The ongoing storyline in this game is that the Raiders chose JaMarcus Russell over Calvin Johnson in the 2007 draft. What is lost in that story is that the Raiders and Lions have had a very similar win loss record since that draft (Raiders: 41-87, Lions: 47-81). The differentiator of course is that the Lions have made the playoffs twice but have also had a winless season so it is a toss up.

JaMarcus Russell was also the number one quarterback and number one consensus pick in the draft so the Raiders can be excused for making that blunder. Calvin Johnson is the best receiver in the NFL but he would not be much good without a decent quarterback throwing him the ball.

Last year the Lions had the number one defense in the NFL but lost two major pieces in Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. They traded for Haloti Ngata and still have an excellent defensive unit overall. A win like this on the road which show that the Raiders are ready to make the next step but it will be difficult for them to overcome the Lions defense at home.

Prediction: Loss

Record: 4-6

Next: Week 12