You could really switch these top three around and you wouldn’t be wrong. Though New England is the defending Super Bowl champions, the Raiders have the best shot of knocking off the evil empire as anybody would. Here is why.
Oakland will playing the Patriots coming off their bye. This means the Oakland staff will have been game planning for New England for two weeks exclusively. New England has to play the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football this week at Mile High. Since Tom Brady hasn’t played very well their historically, expect the Patriots to put in the extra work to surely knock off Denver in Week 10.
The Broncos have a strong defense even with the team’s struggles. They could bang up the Patriots a little bit before they play the Raiders in Mexico City. That’s right! This is a neutral site game between Oakland and New England. Technically, it is a home game for the Raiders, but playing in Estadio Azteca is an experience New England may not be ready for.
It will be the second straight week that the Patriots will be at elevation, though the air quality won’t be as good in Mexico City. Though it was a bigger deal at the start of the season before Oakland slid back a bit, this feels like the ultimate trap game for the Patriots. Don’t be shocked if the Raiders knock off an out of sorts Patriots team. They do have a couple of losses to burn to still finish 12-4 and be the top seed in the AFC.