Oakland: Concerned?

[kevin]

(09-02-2015, 06:18 PM)clevelandsdad Wrote: New here, thanks for having me!

When the average NFL fan of a good NFL team see's a game with Oakland on the schedule, they usually circle that one as the game I might be able to miss for work, family etc. Even as a Bengals fan, I always feel good about playing them.

But like every year, Week 1 provides an air of uncertainty. This year, I believe it is accentuated with young Derek Carr seemingly budding, his new plethora of weapons (Cooper, Crabtree), and the human heat-seeking missile Khalil Mack. History also doesn't seem to favor us in Oakland, although I don't believe that matters too much.

As a Bengals fan, is there reason for genuine concern for this matchup? We definitely have a better roster, and better matchups across the field. But I'm always afraid of that Week 1 upset.

Maybe it's because I've been a Bengals Fan since 1968, our first year, when we had no business on the same field with Oakland here or there. They cleaned our clock in 1968. Greg Cook was huge in pulling off a huge upset in Nippert in 1969. We lost at Oakland in 1975 season play-offs. We lost at Oakland in 1990 season play-offs. We lost at Oakland in 2009 when we had a 7-2 record and Oakland was suppose to be an easy game.  The Bengals have 1 win and 14 losses at The Raiders. I say at The Raiders because some games were in LA.  We have never ever beat them in Oakland. So I would not call this an easy game or a feel good game. Bengals have never won at Oakland.  Now we are 7-6 against Raiders in Cincinnati.  Raiders lead the series 20 wins and 8 losses....again, won once in LA, and have never won in Oakland. 

For these reasons, this is not an easy, put it in the bank, feel good game to me. ....I also remember At Denver early just a few years ago, before Manning, before Tebow was starting.  That was suppose to be easy, and we lost. At Denver in 2006 was suppose to be easy, and we lost. At Denver is never easy. At Oakland is never easy. Throw in San Diego and Kansas City.  The Bengals started in the already established AFC West their first 2 years. It wasn't easy then, and it has never been easy. When Bengals play the AFC West, the old AFL wars continue.  There was nothing easy about the AFL West, and at Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos and Raiders is always hard...How hard ????...If we win, it will be Bengals first win at Oakland EVER. .....add in that Bengals often lose the first game of the season, you can look it up.  They are 5-5 over the last 10 years in the first game.  This also is not a FEEL GOOD stat. 

So Bengals better be ready to fly out west and no excuses of jet lag and time zones. I would love for the Bengals to get their first win ever at Oakland.  The Bengals schedule is kind of rough, so we could use this win. I don't believe in easy road wins. All road wins are hard. ....This said, GO BENGALS......but this is not an automatic win on the schedule by any means.  When you turn on your TV's, you will see a loud stadium of crazy and wild Raiders fans dressed like Halloween in black in The Black Hole, and it will be their Home Opener. Raiders will be fired up to win their home opener. It will be loud. It will be a 3 hour time zone away. ...this is no automatic win and the Bengals better be ready for a knock down, drag out.

Bengals have never won at Oakland. Bengals did win once at LA Raiders. ...1 win and 14 losses at Raiders.....On the other hand, this bunch from 2011 on has never played at Oakland in the last 4 winning seasons of Bengals. These guys have never lost or won at Oakland. GO BENGALS !!!!!