Now the question is can they do it again, this time in front of the Raiders faithful? It starts with running back Darren McFadden. Interestingly, he has only scored three rushing touchdowns in 21 career home games. He needs to get into the end zone. Jason Campbell is playing better and last week proved he can deliver if McFadden gets shut down.
Trying to keep focus on football
Few members of the young Raiders were close with late owner Al Davis, something that's forcing the team to move forward during a tough time, says Steve Wyche. **More ...**
The Browns are beatable, but they are coming off a bye and Oakland figures to be emotially drained, so beware of the upset. I recall being in a similar situation when I was with the Jets back in the 1990s, when defensive lineman Dennis Byrd broke his neck. We had to win that next game for Dennis and we went into Buffalo against a great Jim Kelly-led team and did just that. But after that emotional win, we struggled.
For the team's sake, I hope the home crowd lifts the Raiders this week. How far can "Just win, baby" take a team?
Eagles-Skins highlights great divisional slate
The 3-1 Redskins are coming off a bye and it should be noted that coming off their 2010 bye, they lost to ... the Eagles. Philly also dropped 59 points on Washington in their last meeting at FedEx Field, with Michael Vick throwing four touchdown passes.
But the 2011 Redskins are much improved, especially on defense, where they allow 16 points per game and have racked up 15 sacks. Offensively, the Redskins play ball control, owning a seven-minute possession advantage by averaging 31 run attempts per game. The Eagles' struggles against the run have been well documented, so look for Washington to attack with an inside run game.
High-scoring Pats, Pack
New England has scored more than 30 points in 13 straight regular-season games. They give up almost as many points, but they still look unbeatable. The Pats are headed for their 30th straight home win and Brady has thrown 63 touchdown passes in the 29 wins. Dallas is a good team, but it needs at least 35 points to beat the Patriots and that looks unlikely.
The Packers are a little better on defense, but they are always ready to drop 30-plus on an opponent to cover up any issues the defense may have. This week should be a laugher with the beat-up Rams coming to town. St. Louis has lost seven cornerbacks to injury and has little hope of slowing down the Packers.
AFC South is a mess
Every team in the AFC South has been challenged by a significant injury or ugly situation. To wit:
Harrison: Don't count out Texans
The Texans and two other teams that suffered losses in Week 5 will rebound and have something to play for in Week 17, writes Elliot Harrison. **More ...**
In Indy, Peyton Manning is out indefinitely after neck surgery.
In Tennessee, Chris Johnson held out and hasn't been the same since; and Kenny Britt is done for the year with a knee injury.
In Houston, the Texans lost Andre Johnson (hamstring) for a few games, and now Mario Williams (pectoral) is out for the season.
In Jacksonville, QB David Garrard was cut on the eve of the season.
This division could resemble the 2010 NFC West, as there's a good chance an 8-8 team will win the race to the finish line. This weekend, the Jags visit the Steelers, the Texans visit the Ravens and the Colts visit the Bengals. If the Titans didn't have a bye, the division could have very well had a repeat of last week, when all four teams lost on the same weekend for the first time in the division's history.
My conversation with Bill Belichick
This week, I had the opportunity to talk football with Bill Belichick. It was enlightening, to say the least. We talked about why he went to a 4-3 defense, the run game from shotgun, his 12 personnel package and his upcoming game against the Cowboys.
On the 4-3 ... When the lockout eliminated the offseason and reduced practice time to just training camp, Belichick made a decision that in the interest of time he would go with the 4-3 package instead of his typical 3-4 because he was already using a 4-3 scheme in his nickel and dime defense and there was great carryover to the base 4-3. He also said he's starting to see some progress.
On the shotgun run game ... I wrote extensively on this earlier in the week, but basically Belichick pointed out the blocking angles are different and the entry point at the line of scrimmage has to be worked on diligently with the running backs. He also recognized you simply can't let the defense believe you always pass in the shotgun and must keep the opponent honest with a shotgun run game. Expect more of it in the future from the Patriots.
On the 12 personnel package ... It is a lethal weapon in his arsenal. Belichick pointed out that he can make it tough on defensive substitutions when he's out there with Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.
On the Cowboys ... He wasn't going to give up much, but Belichick did mention twice that they haven't played the Cowboys in years (last meeting was 2007, a 48-27 win for the Pats) and that Rob Ryan's defense was a lot different than his brother Rex's, which the Patriots have seen four times in the past calendar year.
