5 NFL teams on upset alert in Week 12

3. Oakland Raiders

It was just a few weeks ago that the Oakland Raiders were being anointed as a dark horse in the AFC with one of the best looking offenses in the NFL. Three consecutive losses later and that seems almost laughable. The 4-6 Raiders will be on the road in Week 12, travelling to Nashville to take on an uninspiring 2-8 Tennessee Titans team. The sports books have this game listed as pick’em on Sunday, but there’s no reason to believe that a lowly Tennessee team can’t pull off an upset.

Despite how bad Tennessee’s defense has been, particularly in late-game situations, the Raiders offense has sputtered in recent weeks, despite playing just one defense of any real consequence. There’s still plenty of talent on that side of the ball for Oakland with the likes of Derek Carr and Amari Cooper suiting up, but how they’ve performed as of late shouldn’t leave anyone feeling confident no matter who they’re matched up against.

The biggest problem for the Raiders, though, is on the defensive side of the ball. With Aldon Smith’s suspension, the Oakland pass-rush has all but disappeared. Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota has been a rollercoaster this season, as you’d expect from a first-year starter, but there’s no denying his talent and the fact that he can succeed if he has time to go through his reads and make the right throws. I think that’s what happens with the lack of pass-rush from the Raiders, leaving the Titans picking up their third win of the year.

Next: No. 2 Cincinnati Bengals