Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders: 3 things to watch in Week 9

The Oakland Raiders finally come back home as they host the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Here are three things to watch for in Week 9.

After not playing a single snap on their home field for the month of October, the Oakland Raiders finally come home as they play host to the Detroit Lions. The Raiders, sitting at 3-4, are coming off a 27-24 loss to the Houston Texans in a game that by all means should have been a victory for Oakland. Nonetheless, the Raiders have an opportunity to bounce back against a 3-3-1 Lions squad.

Detroit has bought into year two of Matt Patricia’s system, and for the Raiders to come out on top it will boil down to maximizing their strength of the attack on offense and avoid getting beat in the secondary. The Lions rank fourth in passing yards, averaging 299 yards per game. The secondary cannot afford to be the culprit of big plays downfield by Matthew Stafford.

On the other side, Oakland has a clear advantage on the ground game (they rank seventh overall). Josh Jacobs should be ready to add another sample size to his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The Raiders can come away with a victory at home, as long as they end up on the right side of these three things for Week 9.