Week 6..... What To Expect

Vs.

Game time 1PM PST

Here is my Analysis of the Game, based strictly on stats and film I have seen:

Offense -

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The Raiders have a 60 yard per game average advantage. Being that the Browns are currently 4th in the NFL in defending the pass, I look to see Darren McFadden running circles on these guys. Look for Darren to set the tempo and Michael Bush to pound the rock down their throats. I am looking for minimum of 150-175 yards on the ground, based on Cleveland's commitment to contain the run. We do have close to 100 yard advantage based on season averages, with the Raiders averaging 161.8 vs Cleveland's average of 85.8. Based on this, it could be a long day for the Browns. The Raiders need to stay committed to it though, regardless of the down and distance and the timing of the game. We have been getting away from our run more and more over the last 2 weeks, and it is critical that we re-establish our dominance.



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Passing yards are pretty similar, with the Browns averaging 235 and the Raiders 219. I don't see the passing game being something that we will push this week, because you can tell that that aspect of our offense has not gotten completely on the same page as far as timing and Jason Campbell has overthrown a lot of the routes to Moore and Ford. Putting the ball in his hands also opens us up for interceptions and I believe that Campbell is better off just managing the game, rather then having it in his hands to win it for us.

Defense-

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There are way too many similarities in this game with regards to defensive match ups. Its our big boys up front against the struggling line of the Browns, who have yet to establish any sense of continuity that will make all the difference. The Browns are banged up with Joe Haden missing the weeks practice sessions, and not likely to be involved in the game, and really they have lost one of their two games to a poor team in Indy and barely eeked out a win in Miami against the Fins, who are not exactly a contender at 1-4.

So what are the keys to this game outside of stats? Well let me break it down for you.

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Tommy Kelly, Richard Seymour and John Henderson.

These three must keep Peyton Hillis to his season average of 50 yards. Bottom line. They must also run some disguise blitz packages against Colt McCoy in obvious passing downs. Last week, if you noticed, the Raiders ran more blitz packages and zone blitz schemes, getting burned on a few, but pressuring Schaub enough to force some throws that I am sure he wanted back. Schaub was obviously shaken in the final 2 quarters, as many of his throws ended up on the floor in front of the receivers, or hurried for fear of being sacked and minimal gains. This is obviously not the same defensive scheme that Al Davis would have preferred, but I think that now that he is no longer at the helm, Hue Jackson and Chuck Bresnehan can mix things up and start to run some unique looks that will make opposing teams think twice around staying pass happy. You should start to see our average of 299 yards in the air go down progressively over the next few weeks. Don't forget that Bresnehan established a good quality team in Cincinnati of late, and his defense was ranked in the low teens for quite some time. I see the same happening here with a little bit of freedom to call his game. The key to victory is getting off the field on 3rd down, keeping the Browns out of manageable third down situations where they have a 37% average for the season, and putting the hits on McCoy and Hillis.

This is a winnable game for us, and not so much of a let down scenario as many have been saying, but we have to stay aggressive and become the bully that Hue has been talking about, riding the wave of emotion of Al's passing.

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Now is our time!

Raiders 35 Cleveland 10

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