The Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos play each other Sunday, and both teams are 1-2 after three games. The loser of the game will be a disappointing 1-3, while the winner will be in the thick of the AFC West sitting at 2-2. Both teams defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers at home and dropped its other two games, making this Week 4 matchup a must-win game for both teams. For the Raiders to win, the offense needs to sustain drives and score early and often. The defense needs to give Peyton Manning different looks to create turnovers and get stops on ...
Technically, the Oakland A's are still chasing the Texas Rangers for the AL West title.Realistically, though, the signs point toward the A's having to earn their first postseason berth in six years via a wild-card berth. They entered their Thursday matinee against the Rangers in Arlington with a three-game deficit in the division, and that's a pretty big deficit to make up in less than a week.And since they're currently losing to the Rangers as I'm sitting here writing this, their deficit could be an even more insurmountable four games heading into the weekend.The A's would no doubt prefer to ...
As the season gets deeper and deeper, a fan's or an analyst's job gets much easier because tendencies and signs become clearer.For the Oakland Raiders and their Week 4 opponent, the Denver Broncos, the idea couldn't be more true.In Oakland, the Raiders' weakness has manifested itself clearly over the first three weeks: the defensive backfield. Marred by injuries and inexperience, the Raiders are relying on a mish-mash of players who were castoffs, practice squad players, or in Michael Huff's case, those playing a completely new position.On the other side of the ball this week is Peyton Manning, a quarterback whose ...
Coming off an emotional, come-from-behind win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, suddenly the optimism of the 2012 NFL season has crept back in for the Oakland Raiders. At 1-2, the Raiders have a chance to level their record as they travel to Denver to face Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Beating the Broncos won't be easy, as the Raiders will still likely be without starters Shawntae Spencer, Khalif Barnes, and likely won't have wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. But injured and depleted, the Raiders still have one player who has bucked the Broncos the last two seasons: Darren McFadden.Along with McFadden, the rock-solid ...
As Oakland Athletics designated hitter Chris Carter stepped up to the plate against Texas Rangers pitcher Roy Oswalt Wednesday night, he had no idea he would be making history for his franchise.Following a 1-2 count, Carter whiffed on the 91 MPH fastball that Oswalt blew by him. As the batter walked back to the dugout, his strikeout officially marked an American League high and low, depending how you look at it.The Athletics now hold the record for the most strikeouts in one season in the American League. With that one pitch, the team reached No. 1,325 on the season. The ...
First things first: I am keenly aware that nothing is for certain here. Nothing has been settled for Oakland in terms of the postseason, so I know fully that I may end up falling on the sword if they happen to miss the playoffs.Disclaimer stated, the truth is, I just don't see that happening. Two more road games before six at home to end the season leaves the A's in a good position to get into the 2012 postseason.In addition to that, the AL West-leading Texas Rangers and Wild Card-chasing Los Angeles Angels have to play each other three times ...
Darren McFadden's most notable nickname is Run DMC, but there could also be a case made that it should be changed to "Bronco killer."As the Raiders get ready to take on their arch-rivals, the Denver Broncos, at Mile High in Week 4, Christmas may come early for Oakland's most explosive weapon.McFadden has had great success whenever he's faced the Broncos, and Sunday's matchup shouldn't be any different. Since he broke out of his shell in 2010, McFadden has ran for 434 yards and three touchdowns against Denver.When the Raiders destroyed the Broncos 59-14 in Denver back in 2010, McFadden rushed ...
The Oakland Raiders (1-2) and Denver Broncos (1-2) are both focused on trying to get back to the .500 mark, as these AFC West rivals face off inside Sports Authority Field this Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET. Sports bettors will find that the Raiders are currently 6.5-point road underdogs in the Week 4 NFL betting odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total has settled in at 48.5 in the market.Let's take a closer look at this contest from a betting perspective, which will hopefully serve as a guide for those that have yet to make their pro football picks this ...
For all the talent the Oakland Raiders have on the defensive line, the group is surprisingly poor at rushing the quarterback. The defensive front has generated five sacks in three games, but they don’t tell the whole story to Oakland’s futility getting to the quarterback in 2012. The team announced the signing of veteran defensive end Andre Carter, which gives the Raiders a legitimate pass-rusher to complement the rest of the defensive line. The NFL puts a premium on pass-rushers, and Carter was probably the only free agent on the market who could actually make a significant impact. Carter bolsters ...
For two weeks, many may have quietly wondered whether Darren McFadden was still the best player on the Oakland Raiders.While McFadden had managed to stay healthy through two games, his production wasn't quite what people had hoped. In fact, through two games, Run DMC had just 54 rushing yards on 26 attempts.Of course, the versatile McFadden had also added 105 receiving yards, but when you're paid to run the football in this league, a yards-per-carry average of just 2.07 doesn't cut it.And then, McFadden did this:With the Oakland offense sputtering in its first two games, McFadden set the tone early ...