Oakland Raiders: Game vs Detroit Lions is Vital for Both Teams

Damali Binta – Aug 19, 2012

There are many reasons to believe that the Oakland Raiders are getting better. One reason is that the first preseason game had a result of 3-0 and the second preseason game had a score of 31-27. At least the Oakland Raiders did better on their defense, but the offense needs dramatic improvements.

The Detroit Lions are known for their dramatic swings in outcomes for the season. In 2011, they had a 10-6 while in 2010 they had 6-10. In 2007 they had a 7-9 then returned in 2008 with a 0-16.

One conclusion for the Lions is that they are almost not predictable because of the unusual flips and flops in their data. However, if you look at the 10-6 in 2011, you realize that the culture of the Lions is to fight hard to recover their dignity in the NFL.

Well, the culture of the Oakland Raiders must be to fight even harder during the preseason because so far there are two losses, and more improvements and more determination in players are necessary to see dramatic improvements in the performance of the team.

One of the indicators that I like to look at is the performance after Bye Week to give a rough (historical) measure of team discipline. Well, let's look at the Detroit Lions versus the Oakland Raiders from 2007 to 2011. The post Bye Week performance is coded one for a win and zero for a loss.

Year     Detroit     Raiders

2011     0               0

2010     1               0

2009      0              0

2008      0              0

2007      1              0

The win-loss record for the Detroit Lions is compared with that of the Oakland Raiders:

Lions          Raiders

10-6            8-8

6-10            8-8

2-14            5-11

0-16            5-11

The data measures a high degree of determination and passion to improve when you look at the Detroit Lions, a franchise that started in 1930.

In order to defeat the Lions, the degree of passion, persistence and determination will have to increase dramatically to grasp a preseason victory in Week 3 in the 2012 preseason.

I have looked at a few numbers and watched two Raiders'  preseason games, and my opinion is that  our team needs to put their whole heart into the game, coupled with increased passion, determination and persistence to win the game in Week 3.

Go Raiders!