Happy Thanksgiving To One And All!!!

Let's get it started...the Raiders beat the Broncos. Who was surprised. I said all week, it can be done. The Broncos are terrible on defense and they are overrated on offense. I will continue to say, in spite of what everyone tells me, the Raiders have one of the best running games in the league...when Darren McFadden is playing. He missed a few games due to injury, but now he is back and my point was proven in Sunday's game in Denver. When the Raiders running game is in tact, they are hard to beat. They have top receivers who can catch any ball JaMarcus throws. If they can keep the defense leaning forward to defend the run, they will eat them up with the pass.

I have listened to people from the Bay Area to the Gulf Coast rip JaMarcus Russell for being a horrible QB when, in fact, he is at a rookie level and needs time to grow. He is still a good QB and will become a great QB, with the right coaching and a descent line. In the Broncos game, he completed 10 of 11 passes, had ZERO interceptions plus he was the 2nd leading rusher on the Raiders, behind 'Huggy-Boy, Jr." Justin Fargas. Fargas was the 4th top rusher in the NFL for the week. With the combination of JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas in the game, the Raider receivers have nothing to complain about.

Now, I did receive several messages stating the Raiders had a horrible first half, some even said it sucked. I attribute that to tough fans that do not want to stop showing the Raiders "Tough Love." I have watch the replay of the game and I must say when you consider where the team was during this season, the first half was great. The Broncos entered this game thinking like everyone else (except yours truly) that they would roll over the Raiders like a stampede of wild horses. The score after the 1st Qtr was 0-0. That in and of itself was a moral victory for the Raiders. Halftime, the score was 10-3 Raiders. For me, it was game over at that point. They had mentally beaten the Broncos before halftime. The only thing I was concerned about was the altitude. Mile High Stadium has killed many a Raider in past years in the 4th Qtr of games. Not only the Raiders, but every team that has been forced to play there. I have always contended that if John Elway had played for any other team, he would not have been the comeback threat that he was known for. The Broncos hold their condition training in that high altitude which gives them an edge on any team that has to play there. But, the Raiders handled it in stride. It never came into play. That shows they have the stamina to go the distance. they won the game 31-10 proving my analysis that the Raiders raely lose a game in which they score more than 20 points.

Now, it would take a miracle for them to make the playoffs, only because the Broncos have such a huge lead on the division. But, if the Raiders run the table, they will finish 8-8. The next two games are divisional. The Chiefs in Oakland on Sunday and the Chargers in San Diego on the following Thursday. I think they can beat the Chiefs, but it will be a tough game in San Diego with less than 4 days to prepare. However, I will pick them to beat the Chargers due to the fact that the chargers will overlook the Raiders thinking they can walk all over them. If the Raiders play the way they played the Broncos, the game will go to the Raiders. They have a way of getting into the head of their opponents during a game by simple preventing them from scoring at least 2 times. It forces them to say, "Hey, what are the Raiders doing that we can not score everytime we get the ball?" That can tear a team apart, as the Broncos saw on Sunday. The Chiefs are tough, but struggling. The Raiders should handle them easily.

If the Raiders run the table and the Broncos win only 2 of the remaining games and the Chargers win 4 of the remaining games, all 3 will be tied and the tie breaker will take effect. It would mean the Raiders will have split with the Broncos and Chargers and I don't know what the decision would be. However, should the Raider run the table and the Broncos and chargers tank the rest of thier season (it could happen) the Raiders would win the division. The Raiders have, in addition to the Chiefs and Chargers, the Patriots and Texans in Oakland and the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. They can win them all, but the Bucs are the toughest, because they are getting stronger. It is almost an impossibility that an 8-8 team will win its division. I did say ALMOST.

Now, my picks for Thanksgiving weekend. Remember, I am not telling you to put money on any of these, but keep them in mind as I think these are safe bets. All are without point spreads, since I do not know the Vegas line, yet. I may change things after I find out the line. But, here I go:

Titans beat Lions
Cowboys beat Seahawks
Cardinals beat Eagles
Saints beat Bucs *
Ravens beat Bengals
Bills beat Forty Niners
Colts beat Browns
Packers beat Panthers
Redskins beat Giants
Dolphins beat Rams
Falcons beat Chargers
Steelers beat Patriots
Raiders beat Chiefs
Jets beat Broncos
Bears beat Vikings
Jaguars beat Texans
* = My upset game of the week

So, there you have it.

Until next time this is Raider-Man wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving,
Support our troops, give a soldier a great big sloppy kiss and let him know how much he is loved!!! ;-)