Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders: Game preview and prediction
By Nick Ellis
Preview
The Raiders will be at home for the first time in a long time, and the team will look to get back to their winning ways against a dangerous Detroit Lions team. The Lions are coming off a 31-26 victory over the New York Giants, where Matt Stafford and Daniel Jones combined for seven touchdown passes.
The Lions have a lot of weapons, but they rank fairly low in the league in just about everything besides passing offense. The Lions give up an average of about 420 yards per game, ranking 31st in the league in that category. They also allow 130 rushing yards and rank last in passing defense allowing over 289 yards per game.
The Raiders offense should have a big game against Detroit, as Derek Carr has been playing lights out lately, becoming more comfortable in Gruden’s system each week. Josh Jacobs is coming off of an offensive rookie of the month performance, and as long as his touches stay high, his production will continue to improve.
The only concern the Raiders will have against the Lions is Matthew Stafford and the passing offense of Detroit. The Lions lack a strong running game, especially with the absence of Kerryon Johnson. The Lions only average about 97 rushing yards per game, while the Raiders rank ninth in rushing defense in terms of yards allowed.
The Raiders fans could be in for a shootout, as Derek Carr and Matt Stafford have been playing some of the best football of their careers, and neither team has impressive defenses at this point.