Derek Carr gets to make up for lost time after ending last season early with a broken leg against a team most of us think will contend for a playoff spot. The Oakland Raiders, my personal AFC Super Bowl pick, opens up its season on the road against the suddenly formidable Tennessee Titans and their own young gun quarterback who suffered the same injury as Carr last season, Marcus Mariota.
The Game: Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans (-2.5)
The Raiders lead the all-time series 29-20 in an AFC match up that began in 1960 when the Titans were the Houston Oilers. Oakland won the last two games in 2015 and 2016, 24-21 and 17-10.
The recent games between the two teams have been close, with the exception of a 38-13 Tennessee win back in September, 2010. Of the other eight games since the 2003-04 season, all have been decided by nine points or less.
The two teams have met in the playoffs four times, with the Titans/Oilers losing every time. The last playoff loss for Tennessee was in January, 2003, 41-24.
The Titans/Oilers reeled off a four game win streak over Oakland from September, 1960 to December, 1962. They haven’t won more than three in a row since, but have done that twice. Most recently from October, 2007 to November, 2013.
The longest Raiders streak went to nine games, from November, 1966 to December, 1973 and it including two playoff games.
OAKLAND RAIDERS
Carr isn’t the only star on this offense. The Raiders are loaded at wide receiver, tight end and running back thanks to the signing of Beast Mode himself, Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is an underrated receiver and could be an every down back in Oakland’s offense. That doesn’t mean he’ll get 30 carries a game. It could be 20 carries and five or six catches out of the backfield. Either way, unless he goes down with an injury, he should be an impact player immediately.
Amari Cooper already might have a claim to a Top 10 wide receiver spot in the NFL. If he doesn’t, he probably will after this season. Oakland finished as the No. 7 scoring offense and No. 6 yardage offense and Cooper was a big reason why. Those numbers came with Carr in a cast in the final game of the season too. Cooper and Crabtree both went over 1,000 yards last year, with Cooper racking up 1,153 yards and five touchdowns and Crabtree netting 1,003 yards and eight touchdowns. I expect similar, if not better numbers this year.
Oakland has secured their offensive line with the exception of Donald Penn, who held out all preseason. He’s back now and while he may not “start,” he expects to play and I’d bet Carr expects him to play.
While the offense was one of the league’s best, the defense has some growing to do and the Titans offense should present a real challenge for Khalil Mack, Karl Joseph and company.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Mariota busted out last season, going 8-7 as a starter and completing 61.2 percent of his passes for 3,426 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine picks before going down with his own broken leg in Week 16. He’ll have the best wide receiver corps of his young career, with Rishard Matthews returning, free agent acquisition Eric Decker and rookies Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor. That’s not even mentioning Delanie Walker, one of the best receiving tight ends in the game.
In the backfield, there aren’t enough footballs for DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry to get the carries they deserve. I predict Henry will get plenty this season as the team tries to prepare for a future (next year, in fact) without Murray and Henry as the featured back.
The Titans added a few pieces on defense, the biggest being former New England Patriots corner Logan Ryan and rookie first round pick Adoree’ Jackson. Tennessee is building a more than solid defensive backfield to go with what is already a stout defense called by defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau.
The Pick
While I think the Titans, just by talent alone, should win the AFC South this season, beating a fully stocked Raiders team is too much to ask. When you factor in the coaching match up of Jack Del Rio versus Mike Mularkey, it makes this call easy. Raiders 38, Titans 27
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