When the Raiders take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, they should feel right at home.
Oakland will have been in Florida more than a week when the game kicks off at 10 a.m. (Bay Area time), and the Raiders this season have been very comfortable away from home with a 4-0 record.
At 5-2, the Raiders have a chance to stay atop the AFC West with a win and go into next week’s matchup with the Denver Broncos with some momentum.
Plus, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has been even better on the road this season than at home. In his last seven road games, he has a 6-1 record with 13 touchdown passes and just two interceptions.
The Bucs, meanwhile, are 3-3 but are 0-2 at home.
If the Bucs’ defense is going to stop Oakland, it will have to do a solid job containing wideouts Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and Carr’s deep passes.
As Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com noted this week, Carr has been especially good on long balls this season, completing 60 percent of passes 20 or more yards downfield. That ranks No. 3 in the NFL among QBs with at least 10 deep throws.
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Plus, the Raiders have done a great job protecting Carr and giving him time to find open receivers. The offensive line has given up a league-low seven sacks.
Left tackle Donald Penn, in particular, is playing very well in pass protection, protecing Carr’s blind side, something Carr appreciates.
“Donald’s the best man,” Carr told reporters this week. “He’s like a big brother. He wants to protect me more than anything. He gets mad even if his guy, his finger touches my jersey.”
The Raiders, however, also face some challenges, especially on defense. The Raiders’ leaky defense improved a bit last week in a win over Jacksonville, but now must contain quarterback Jameis Winston, who guides the team’s 16th-ranked passing attack and 11th-ranked running game.
Winston has two great weapons in running back Jaquizz Rodgers – who has had back-to-back 100-yard games – and wide receiver Mike Evans, who has six TD catches and is averaging almost seven receptions per game.
Oddsmakers have made the Bucs 1-point favorites.
