Derek Carr Oakland Raiders
Quarterback Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates a win against the San Francisco 49ers late in the fourth quarter on December 7, 2014 at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, California. Brian Bahr/Getty Images

The Oakland Raiders have an important matchup with the Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon. Despite owning a sub-.500 record, Jon Gruden’s team has a great chance to tie the first-place Kansas City Chiefs in the loss column by the end of Week 9.

Kansas City is 1.5 games ahead of Oakland in the AFC West. The Chiefs face a very good Minnesota Vikings’ team, possibly without Patrick Mahomes for a second straight game. The Raiders are favored at home against the Lions.

Detroit is a two-point underdog, according to the latest betting line at OddsShark. The over/under is 50.5.

The Raiders are coming off a 27-24 road loss to the Houston Texans. It marked their second straight defeat. Oakland hasn’t won a game since Week 5.

The Lions beat the New York Giants 31-26 at home in Week 8. It ended Detroit’s three-game losing streak, putting them back in the win column for the first time since Week 3.

Oakland last played at home in Week 2 when they were defeated 28-10 by Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Raiders beat the Denver Broncos 24-16 in Week 1 in Oakland. The game was more one-sided than the final score indicates.

There should be plenty of points scored in this one. No one is allowing more passing yards per game than Detroit. Oakland is 30th in pass defense. Both teams are tied for 25th in the league with 13 sacks. The Lions and Raiders are 26th and 27th, respectively, in opponents’ yards per play.

The Raiders have actually moved the ball better than most teams. They rank fourth with 6.2 yards per play.

Derek Carr leads the NFL, completing 72.1 percent of his passes. He’s seventh with a 103.6 passer rating.

Five of Oakland’s opponents rank in the top half of the NFL in scoring defense. Detroit is 26th in points allowed per game.

Detroit has given up at least 23 points in five straight games. Oakland hasn’t scored fewer than 24 points in its last four games.

Look for the Raiders to bounce back in a high-scoring affair.

Prediction: Oakland over Detroit, 30-26

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