After Sunday's international loss to the New England Patriots, the Oakland Raiders need a win.
Even though the Silver and Black are currently two games under .500, they're still right in the thick of things in the AFC playoff picture, but if they want to stay there, Head Coach Jack Del Rio's group has to get back in the winner's circle, and quickly.
They'll have a chance to do just that Sunday afternoon at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as they return home to play host to the Denver Broncos in a game that is vitally important to both squads.
The Raiders offense admittedly struggled last weekend at Estadio Azteca, putting up just eight points against the league's No. 32 ranked defense, and they'll have a big challenge ahead of them this Sunday, squaring off against the Denver Broncos.
Entering the Week 12 clash at the OACC, Joe Woods' group is the No. 3 defense in the NFL, surrendering just 283.2 total yards per game. After tallying 344 yards against the New England defense in the Week 11 loss in Mexico City, the Raiders 21st ranked offense will try to put up some points against Denver's group, which might be in the cards, considering the Broncos – while stout defensively – still allow 25.9 points per game which ranks just tied for 27th in the league.
On the other side of things, the Silver and Black's defense – which ranks No. 26 in the NFL – will be now captained by Assistant Head Coach – Defense John Pagano after the team parted ways with Ken Norton, Jr. Tuesday afternoon.
In another interesting turn of events, Pagano will be going toe-to-toe with former Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave who was recently promoted from Quarterbacks Coach to Offensive Coordinator for the Broncos.
Sunday's game certainly isn't lacking for storylines, so let's take a look at the Raiders Matchup Report presented by FedEx.
Which Raiders will deliver Air & Ground worthy performances this season? Check nfl.com/fedex to find out, and vote for the weekly FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week all season long.
