Last time the Oakland Raiders hosted a hated rival at the Coliseum it was the game of their season so far, a big upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs that spoiled their AFC West title hopes and prevented them from a 0-16 season. That was followed by an embarrassing 52-0 loss to the St. Louis Rams the following week, but this Sunday the Raiders will be hoping to ruin the season of the San Francisco 49ers as the Bay Area rivalry game is a must win for Oakland’s hated cross-bridge rivals.
New Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck knows all about rivalry games as a member of the New York Giants for the bulk of his career, taking on the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys in the fierce NFC East rivalry games on more than one occasion. Tuck also played against his in-city rivals in the New York Jets a few times, and with his experience the two time Super Bowl champion is expecting violent football in Sunday in front of the Black Hole.
“I’ve played in some rivalry games as far as same city, same backyard-type rivalries playing the New York Jets and things like that,” said Tuck during media availability on Monday, via CSN Bay Area. “You know that it’s going to be a game that you’re going to come out of it very sore. You’re going to come out of it very banged up, but it brings the best out of you.”
After the loss to the Rams, Tuck is turning his attentions on a violent bloodbath against the Niners where the Raiders will have the chance to play spoiler to their Bay Area foes who need a win to keep the door open for a NFC Wild Card spot come the end of December.
“I think the best thing for us now is to turn all of our attention and our focus to what lies ahead, and that’s this bloodbath that I think we’re about to have against the 49ers,” Tuck said.
“Big rivalry game. Everybody in this area has been waiting for this game for a long time. I think that’s the best thing that could have happened after a loss like that, is to have this type of game where all of your attention has to be focused on the 49ers going forward.”
Tuck is a big game player, winning two Super Bowls as a member of underdog teams with the New York Giants, so these are the games he is built for. With veteran players on the Raiders sure to tell the rookies on the team what to expect, both the Raiders and Niners are prepared for a fierce battle in a game that has been circled as the most important week of the season for Oakland beyond their AFC West matchups. Expect old school football at the Coliseum on Sunday, even if the Raiders are opening up as 7.5 point underdogs in Vegas after their 52-0 loss to the Rams.