Oakland Raiders take on dominating New Orleans Saints in Week 11 – NFL Preview
Oakland Raiders are struggling to get many wins at home and things will get more difficult when they face the top New Orleans Saints in Week 11 game on Sunday, November 18, 2012, at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California.
After a dismal 0-4 start to the season, Saints are back in business and things are getting better and better as more players and coaching staff are returning into the squad after serving their respective suspensions.
Raiders (3-6), are making things tougher for themselves. The offence has done fairly better in recent weeks, but it is the defence that is hurting them the most.
The team is coming into this game after having two consecutive defeats and by big margins. In their Week 10 tie against Baltimore Ravens, Raiders gave away 55 points, most in the franchise history.
Raiders head coach Dennis Allen has been unimpressed by the team’s lack of competitiveness. He said:
"That outcome was unacceptable. We have to be better than that. I wish there was a magical answer. I know everybody wants a magical, 'This is the solution,' but at the end of the day, and I've said this over and over, it's about us doing our job the right
way every single time.”
The offence is clicking for Raiders as quarterback Carson Palmer is giving the best performance of his career. He finished last game with 368 passing yards and two touchdowns.
However, the team will be without their star running back Darren McFadden who is out with ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Saints (4-5) are aiming to come back into playoff contention and their game against the Raiders will be an important step towards doing that.
The Saints have won four of their last five games, mainly due to the return to form by quarterback Drew Brees who threw a total of 15 touchdowns in that period. According to the Associated Press, Brees said:
"That's something we feel like we're capable of and we envisioned being able to do that, because we know the type of team we have. We knew we dug ourselves a hole. We knew we had a mountain to climb, but we also knew we have the right type of people.”
Saints’ confidence will be sky high as they head into this game after defeating the previously unbeaten Atlanta Falcons by 31-27 in Week 10.
The defence has been the problem for Saints throughout the season and is en route to breaking the league record for most yards allowed. In the offensive side of the game, Saints are helped by superb performance in the running game.
Running back Chris Ivory has returned to the field in a spectacular fashion. After missing the first seven weeks of the season, the running back has averaged 7.1 rushing yards per carry in the last two games.
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