Plenty of noise is coming out of Oakland. The Raiders may finally have a successful season with a solid quarterback in Derek Carr, and some brand new weapons in Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. But they start their year against a solid Cincinnati Bengals squad looking to make up for a horrible playoff outing last season. Can the Raiders rip apart Cincinnati to start their season off with a bang?
There’s plenty more big games coming to kick off the NFL season into full gear. Check out the complete previews for the Ravens vs. Broncos and Giants vs. Cowboys.
[sc:Football ]Cincinnati Bengals vs. Oakland Raiders Preview
Where: O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA
When: Sunday, September 13, 4:25 PM ET
Line: Cincinnati Bengals (-3) at Oakland Raiders (+3); total 44.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Cincinnati Bengals
Andy Dalton is all set for the regular season, if his opening drive in Week 3 is of any bearing. The Cincinnati quarterback made all six of his passes for 52 yards and added a one-yard sneak for a touchdown as part of a 16-play, 77-yard drive which consumed about nine minutes. Dalton left the game shortly after as a precaution due to a sore neck.
[sc:NFL240banner ]If Dalton’s soreness turns out to be worse than it seems, then backup A.J. McCarron may be a solid replacement after going 12 for 17 for 149 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 of the preseason. Either quarterback should have a solid target in wide receiver A.J. Green. The Bengals’ No. 1 wide out caught 69 passes for 1,041 yards and six scores last season.
Having a solid signal caller and an efficient receiver like Green should help the Bengals light up the scoreboard against an Oakland defense which allowed the fifth-most passing touchdowns last season. Cincinnati won’t only threaten through the air, it also happens to have a solid running game led by Jeremy Hill.
Then a rookie, Hill impressed in 2014, rushing for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns with starter Giovanni Bernard out due to an injury. His 5.1 yards per carry ranked second in the league among running backs.
The Bengals also have some excellent players in their secondary which could give problems to Oakland’s new pieces Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. Cornerbacks Adam Jones and Dre Kirkpatrick were solid in coverage last season with 11 and seven passes defended respectively. Kirkpatrick had a pick-six, the only player in the Bengals player to do so last year.
The total has gone under in the Bengals’ last seven road games.
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Betting on the Oakland Raiders
If the Bengals enter O.co Coliseum expecting the same rag-tag, disappointing Oakland Raiders of last year, then they’re in for a rude awakening. The Raiders were beyond ready for the regular season with the way their first team defense played in their preseason Week 3 game against Arizona.
The Raiders were brutal on the pass rush, sacking Cardinals starting quarterback Carson Palmer three times (two from stud linebacker Khalil Mack. Oakland also had two interceptions by strong safety Nate Allen. Having threats in the secondary should be a big help, considering that Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton threw the second-most interceptions (17) last season. The Raiders may struggle on the pass rush, though, with Cincinnati allowing the third-least sacks (23) last year.
Derek Carr and the first team offense didn’t have the best of luck, though, failing to get into the end zone in their time on the field. Thankfully, they had kicker Sebastian Janikowski make five field goals to mop up their mess.
Carr wasn’t all too solid, going 18 for 34 for 213 yards and an interception. But his targets made the most of his ability. Amari Cooper caught 4 of 9 passes for 62 yards, while tight end Mychal Rivera caught 3 of 4 for 42 yards.
While Carr struggled, starting running back Latavius Murray was totally listless. He ran for one yard on seven carries in Week 3 of the preseason, granted he ran against one of the best rushing defenses in the league in the Arizona Cardinals.
Murray was solid against in his other preseason appearances, though, rushing for 55 yards and a score on 10 carries against St. Louis and Minnesota. Murray will face a Cincinnati defense that allowed 4.2 yards per carry last season, so he should have a serviceable outing at worst in Week 1.
The Raiders have won their last three games at home, going a perfect 3-0 against the spread as underdogs.
Writer’s Prediction
The new-look Raiders squad prove that they’re no pushovers this season. Oakland wins, covering the +3 spread.
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