Week 11 NFL Preview: Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings Too Close to Call

The Oakland Raiders sit on top of the AFC West this late in the season for the first time in years. The Minnesota Vikings have been left in the dust in the NFC North. With Oakland riding the momentum of a road win over a division rival, they visits the Vikings this Sunday—a team wounded by a lopsided road loss to an undefeated division rival.

Can the Vikings rebound? Or will the Raiders build on their new-found leader status?

This is the first meeting between these two teams since 2007, when Minnesota pulled off a 29-22 win at home. The last Oakland win came in 2003 at home, 28-18.

With the Raiders visiting the Vikings this week, the NFL odds list Oakland as a one-point favorite, while the total has been set at 45 points.

 

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders took over the lead in the AFC West last week with a 24-17 win at San Diego—their third road win in four dates this season. This is the first of a stretch of playing the entire NFC North over the next five weeks.

Oakland ranks fourth in the league in rushing (156 yards per game) and 16th in passing (229 ypg). Leading rusher Darren McFadden is out, so the rushing load falls on Michael Bush who has 490 yards and four touchdowns on 4.5 yards per carry.

In his three starts, Carson Palmer has completed 54 percent of his passes for 747 yards and five TDs with seven interceptions and three sacks. The top receiver is Darrius Hayward-Bey with 27 catches for 434 yards and one score, while Denarius Moore has 23 grabs for 396 yards and four TDs.



Defensively, the Raiders rank 22nd in the league against the pass (246 ypg) and 25th against the run (132 ypg). The unit has recorded 23 sacks and forced 13 turnovers. Tyvon Branch has 69 tackles (21 more than anyone else) with an interception and fumble recovery. Kamerion Wimbley has six sacks and 37 tackles, while Matt Giordano has two interceptions, 32 t...