Oakland Raiders: 5 keys to upset of Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16

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OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Karl Joseph No. 42 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after sacking the quarterback and recovering a fumble against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. The Raiders won the game 45-20. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Win the turnover battle.

Another really simple part to the Raiders being able to pull off the upset of the Eagles is that the Raiders need to win the turnover battle, period. Oakland will probably need to be +2 for the Raiders to have any shot at winning this game. It won’t be easy, but it is possible.

Even if Carson Wentz was still starting at quarterback for the Eagles, he would have still turned the ball over. He does fumble and will throw the occasional awful interception. Though a more seasoned veteran than Wentz, Nick Foles feels like a downgrade to Wentz. That’s because Wentz was an MVP candidate and Foles is just a serviceable spot starter at this point of his NFL career.

So how are the Raiders going to win the turnover battle? Well, the Raiders can’t turn the ball over more than once. That requires Marshawn Lynch and company to hold on to the football when running it. As for Derek Carr, he just can’t become a pick machine.

Oakland has shown in recent weeks that it can turn the ball over. Pressure of the edge from Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin has translated into a handful of strip sacks. The amped up pass rush has forced some bad throws out of a muddy pocket by the opposition for the Raiders secondary to make some plays on the ball. If the Raiders are +2 in the turnover battle, their chance at victory becomes maybe a real thing.

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