We typically leave an Eagles-Raiders game in awe, and that won’t change in Week 15.
The Philadelphia Eagles were born on July 8, 1933. The Las Vegas Raiders were born in Oakland, California, a little over 27 years later. They play in two different conferences, the NFC and the AFC, respectively, so they’ve only faced each other 14 times.
They’ve met in a Super Bowl and on Christmas. They’ve met in Oakland, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Nick Foles tied an NFL record for TD passes vs. the Raiders in 2013.
They met during Nick Sirianni’s first season. That was a Raiders win. The beating was so severe that Shane Steichen took over as the play caller.
They’ve split this series down the middle, seven wins apiece. They don’t meet often, but each meeting leaves its mark. Week 15 will be no different. Here are some bold predictions.
The Eagles‘ offense finally plays turnover-free football and eclipses the 20-point threshold.
The Eagles are trying to find answers, which has led them to open their playbook. Sometimes they have pressed and committed nine turnovers over the past three weeks.
The conversations about Philadelphia and its attempts to find offensive consistency continue. We should all expect a few more growing pains. That includes several more three-and-outs.
This time, however, the Eagles make things a little easier on themselves by returning to turnover-free football and adding a few more points to the cause, giving the defense some breathing room.
The Eagles’ defense forces two turnovers.
Even great units have bad days. When everything is measured, Vic Fangio’s defense is a great unit. They played six bad quarters against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington and in a Black Friday game against the Chicago Bears.
Things steadied somewhat in Week 15, but the Eagles lost again. The Raiders provide an opportunity to build confidence.
Philadelphia’s defense forces two turnovers in this one. At least one provides a short field and some points.
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith find the end zone.
No disrespect is intended to the guys in Cincinnati, but this is the best wide receiver duo in the NFL. Nothing will give the offense more confidence than seeing A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith haul in TD passes, except for maybe a sudden Saquon Barkley resurgence.
Book it. We’re picking Brown and Smith as anytime TD scorers, and there are some phenomenal mic’d-up moments in the aftermath.
The Eagles’ defense racks up five sacks. Maxx Crosby gets two.
Kenny Pickett is one of the game’s mobile young quarterbacks, but this is a bad Raiders team. Figure five sacks for Philadelphia.
The Eagles are experiencing injuries along the offensive line and are banged up at right tackle. It sounds like Maxx Crosby might have a decent evening.
The Raiders win time of possession and gain more yards on offense, but the Eagles win every other statistical category.
Simply put, the Eagles too often endure long offensive droughts. Pete Carroll wants to run the football. One of his biggest threats is Ashton Jeanty.
We’ve already discussed Pickett’s talent as a runner. After seeing what Justin Herbert was able to do vs. Philadelphia in Week 14, expect Las Vegas to try some similar wrinkles.
The Raiders win time of possession, but everything else goes the Eagles’ way. They commit fewer penalties. They win the turnover battle. Most importantly, they score more points. Final score prediction: Eagles 24, Raiders 16.