5 reasons Oakland Raiders can upset New England Patriots
By John Buhler
The New England Patriots might be more than a touchdown favorite in this game, but here are five reasons the Oakland Raiders can pull off the upset.
No, it will not be easy. In fact, it will be tremendously difficult. Nevertheless, the Oakland Raiders need to find a way to beat the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in Week 11 to stay alive in the AFC playoffs race. Oakland is 4-5, while New England is 7-2 on the year.
In one of the most anticipated games of the week, both AFC rivals will square off at the iconic Estadio Azteca south of the border down in Mexico City. Kickoff will be at 1:25 p.m. PT, 4:25 p.m. ET on Nov. 19. CBS will have the featured late afternoon telecast with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo in the booth.
The Patriots are at least a touchdown favorite in this neutral-site matchup. Being the defending Super Bowl champions and three wins better than the team it is going up against definitely makes sense for New England to be laying over seven points in this one.
That being said, there is a sliver of optimism that the Raiders can come out of Mexico City with a victory on Sunday. A win over the Patriots would have Oakland at 5-5 on the year and very much alive in the AFC wild card race. Here are five reasons the Raiders can upset the Patriots on Sunday.
New England hasn’t been back home in over a week.
Let’s not overlook this. While the Raiders have been back in the Bay Area since beating the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football in Week 9, the Patriots haven’t been in Foxborough in over a week. They played the Denver Broncos at Mile High on Sunday Night Football in Week 10.
Since this game between the Raiders and the Patriots will be at over 7,000 feet above sea level, New England opted to stay in Colorado to get ready for this game. The Patriots practiced all week at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs to account for the altitude. Oakland stayed back in Alameda County.
While the Patriots may be better adjusted to playing at extreme elevation, it’s been a while since they have been back in New England. Usually when teams stay away from home for an extra week, they rarely win both games. Oakland got thrashed in Week 8 by the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park. The Raiders stayed on the East Coast for Week 9, went down to Sarasota for the week and clobbered Miami.
Being away from home for more than a week is straining on an NFL team. The Patriots may be the best team in the AFC, but we’re looking at a team that could go 12-4 this season. That means two more losses could be on the way. One of those might be to the Raiders on Sunday afternoon.