Raiders at Saints: Game preview, odds, prediction
By John Buhler
The Oakland Raiders will play the New Orleans Saints for a Week 1 matchup at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, September 11th at 1:00 PM ET.
The AFC West will play the NFC South in its entirety during the 2016 NFL season. One of these rare regular season meetings between these two divisions will take play during Week 1. The Oakland Raiders will travel to the Big Easy to face the New Orleans Saints for a 1:00 PM ET kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Oakland is poised for a breakthrough season in 2016 under second-year head coach Jack Del Rio. The 2015 Raiders finished 7-9 and in third place in the AFC West. However with the defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos expected to nosedive in 2016, this could mean that the Raiders could make the AFC Playoffs for the first time since the 2002 NFL season.
New Orleans is still delaying an inevitable rebuild entering this season. The 2015 Saints also went 7-9 and finished third in the NFC South. New Orleans may continue to have its issues on defense, but the Sean Payton/Drew Brees connection always makes the Saints a dangerous team in high-octane shootouts.
With Oakland feeling like a team on the rise and New Orleans being about a .500 team the last few seasons, this will be a nail-biter of a football game. The Saints are a slight one-point favorite at home, but this game could go either way.
The big key in this game is going to be how well Ken Norton Jr.’s defense plays for Oakland. Should the Raiders’ improving defense handling the Brees led aerial attack on Sunday, Oakland can move to 1-0 on the year with an impressive road in a hostile environment.
If this game goes to a shootout, Brees will find a way to beat an on-the-rise Raiders team in Week 1 at home. Oakland may be the more balanced of the two teams, but a potential high-scoring affair favors New Orleans.
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This game will go down to the wire. A quarterback pressure from Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack will force the deciding turnover to seal the Saints’ fate. Oakland may not look AFC Playoff-caliber in Week 1, but a close win over the Saints is a great start.
Pick: Oakland Raiders 28, New Orleans Saints 24