But is there any reason to believe all this losing that started after the Raiders lost to the Bucs in Super Bowl XXXVII will end? Oakland has had four head coaches in four years (Tom Cable officially getting the full-time job in the offseason) but still the same owner in Al Davis, which seems to be the real problem. In fact, Oakland was widely ripped for this year’s draft, taking Maryland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey over the much more heralded Michael Crabtree. Then the Raiders took Ohio safety Mike Mitchell in the second round, and most scouts had Mitchell with a late-round grade.

So what reasons are there to be positive this season? Well, the running game was actually pretty good last year, with the Raiders finishing 10th in the NFL by averaging 124.2 yards per game on the ground. It appears Darren McFadden will win the No. 1 job for this season, but Oakland has enviable depth behind him with Justin Fargas and Michael Bush.

Oakland is going to need possibly an NFL-best ground attack this year to reach .500, because it seems former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell simply isn’t improving at quarterback.  He has been very inconsistent in camp and still is too heavy. It’s Russell’s third season, which is usually a make-or-break year for quarterbacks. Jeff Garcia is waiting in the wings as a temporary fix. Russell has a very weak receiving corps, with Heyward-Bey not helping with his slow start. Zach Miller will catch a ton of balls at tight end.

The best thing you can say about the defense is that Oakland has the top cornerback in the league in Nnamdi Asomugha. He might not have many interceptions or passes defensed, but that’s because quarterbacks won’t throw his way. For sure Oakland must improve against the run – since the Raiders’ losing ways started in 2003, Oakland has had the worst run defense in the NFL, allowing 141.7 yards per game on the ground and 122 rushing touchdowns. Maybe new defensive coordinator John Marshall can help fix that.

At least the Raiders have two very good kickers.

Here is the Raiders’ 2009 schedule, and we’ll break it down after:

• Sept. 14 vs. San Diego Chargers, 10:15 p.m.
• Sept. 20 at Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m.
• Sept. 27 vs. Denver Broncos, 4:15 p.m.
• Oct. 4 at Houston Texans, 1 p.m.
• Oct. 11 at New York Giants, 1 p.m.
• Oct. 18 vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 4:05 p.m.
• Oct. 25 vs. New York Jets, 4:05 p.m.
• Nov. 1 at San Diego Chargers, 4:05 p.m.
• Week 9: Bye
• Nov. 15 vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 4:05 p.m.
• Nov. 22 vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 4:15 p.m.
• Nov. 26 at Dallas Cowboys, 4:15 p.m.
• Dec. 6 at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m.
• Dec. 13 vs. Washington Redskins, 4:05 p.m.
• Dec. 20 at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m.
• Dec. 27 at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m.
• Jan. 3 vs. Baltimore Ravens, 4:15 p.m.

Strength of schedule: 19th (opponents combined to go 122-132-2, .480, in 2008)

Projected record: 6-10

Bodog over/under total: 5 1/2

Bodog odds to win AFC West: 12/1

Bodog odds to win AFC: 50/1

Bodog odds to win Super Bowl XLIV: 90/1

For the second year in a row, the Silver and Black open on Monday night against an AFC West foe. It didn’t work out too well in Denver for the Raiders this year, and it probably won’t this year against the Chargers. San Diego has won 11 in a row vs. the Raiders, the longest active win streak in the league against a single opponent. In addition, Oakland has a 10-game losing streak in prime-time games.

The Week 2 matchup is definitely winnable, as the Chiefs are coming off a 2-14 season and the fact that Oakland has won two in a row at Arrowhead. Beating Denver also is very possible, as the Broncos are being overhauled and may not have star receiver Brandon Marshall for the game as he still might face a suspension for an off-field issue still pending in Atlanta (as of this writing). Could Oakland be 2-1 after three games? No question it’s possible, perhaps even likely.

However, the Raiders will be underdogs in the next three games and probably can’t beat the Texans (fourth year in a row playing them), Giants or Eagles. The trips to Houston and New  York are one of three times the Raiders play back-to-back road games this season. That’s never easy to navigate.

As odd as it sounds, the Raiders seem more likely to lose to the Chiefs in Oakland, with K.C. winning six in a row there. But beating both the Chiefs and Bengals after the bye is very doable. Winning at Dallas in Oakland’s first Turkey Day game since 1970? Not happening.

One thing is for sure: the Raiders are glad Mike Shanahan is out of the division. The former Broncos coach was 21-7 against Oakland in 14 seasons.

The Raiders have six seasons in a row with at least 10 losses. The streak is the longest active in the league and tied for the second-longest in league history. Will it end this year? Nope, one game short.

Terrell Owens, of course, was released by the Cowboys in the offseason and picked up by the Buffalo Bills.

The Cowboys will play their first game of the preseason on the road vs. the Oakland Raiders, and Bodog has made Tony Romo and the Cowboys a 1-point road underdog on Thursday.

The Raiders will be keeping a close watch on their QB battle between Bruce Gradkowski and  Charlie Frye. Frye probably has the upper hand, but with Jeff Garcia scheduled to return soon from injury one of these two with NFL experience could find their reps dramatically reduced.

For the Cowboys, Roy Williams is starting to get on the same page with Romo. Williams is in the best shape of his career, but don't expect him to fully fill Owens’ shoes.

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Houston still has a chance at finishing with a winning record for the first time since entering the NFL in 2002. They have not lost since Nov. 16 and need a win over Oakland to match last season's club record for victories, and then one over Chicago at home next weekend to close the year with a winning mark.
Steve Slaton has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his last three games and has 1,124 yards with eight touchdowns on the season.

Houston won 24-17 at Oakland last November and faces a Raiders team that has lost three in a row overall and four straight at home.

Matt Cassel seems likely to start Sunday even though he has been away from the team due to the passing of his father.

The Patriots are 21-2 in December since the start of 2003, but this year's team has followed its last three wins with losses and hasn't won back-to-back games since October.

If the Raiders lose on Sunday it would make them the first NFL team with six straight 11-loss seasons.

It's unclear who will play quarterback for Oakland after JaMarcus Russell injured his ankle against the Chargers. The Raiders have been held under 20 points in nine of their last 10 games. Place your NFL bets in the Bodog Sportsbook today.

San Diego hasn't dropped four straight since an 0-5 start in 2003, and one of those losses was a 34-31 defeat in Oakland. The Raiders have lost all 10 meetings since that game, and only one of the last seven has been decided by fewer than 10 points.

The Raiders are pretty much playing for pride. They must win out to avoid becoming the third team in NFL history to suffer at least 10 losses in six consecutive seasons. Get your NFL football odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Oakland has been one of the league's best rushing teams with 122.5 yards rushing per game, which puts the Raiders 10th in the NFL.

Oakland ran for 300 yards in a 23-8 win at Kansas City on Sept. 14. That was the third-highest rushing total allowed by the Chiefs in franchise history.

The Chiefs have lost 19 of their last 20, by far the worst stretch in franchise history. K.C. will try to bounce back from a terrible defensive performance where they lost 54-31 to Buffalo last Sunday, allowing the most points in team history.

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For the Raiders, it is pretty clear why they are not winning games: They can't score. The Raiders have gone three full games and 180 plays without an offensive touchdown, which is easily the league's longest active streak. Oakland ranks last in the league in a plethora of offensive categories, including total points, passing yards, and third-down conversion percentage.

Denver has already blown out Oakland this year, opening the season with a 41-14 road victory where Jay Cutler threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

With Chad Pennington managing the offense effectively and the running back duo of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown combining for 1,190 yards from scrimmage through nine games, the Dolphins have a winning record for the first time since 2005. The pair could pose problems for the Raiders' defense, which ranks 29th in the NFL against the run, allowing an average of 158.1 yards on the ground per game.

The Fish are large 10.5-point faves this week to take care of the Raiders, who have gone nine straight quarters without scoring a touchdown.

Last season's loss to Oakland was Miami's first in the regular season against the Raiders since 1996, as the Dolphins had won six straight in the series.

Michael Turner hasn't scored a touchdown or gone over 100 yards in the last two games after averaging 180.6 yards in the first five. Turner, who ranks third in the NFL with 655 rushing yards to go with six touchdowns, will get to face a defense that is giving up 377.3 yards per game and ranks 26th in the league in rushing defense, allowing 144.1 yards.

The 3-point underdog Raiders are not clicking on offense either. They managed only 35 yards of total offense in the first half en route to as 29-10 loss to Baltimore last Sunday. QB JaMarcus Russell was 15-for-33 for 228 yards with one touchdown and one interception.