11

Oakland Raiders 3-1 Last week: W, 28-27, at BAL

Last rank: 14th

Recap: Three road games in four weeks and three victories for the Silver and Black as the Raiders beat the Ravens in Baltimore for the first time in six tries. Quarterback David Carr continued his solid play, throwing for 199 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. That raised his season totals to nine scores through the air while being picked off only once in four games. And rejuvenated wideout Michael Crabtree continues to be one of the best-kept secrets in the league these days as he hauled in seven passes for 88 yards and three touchdowns – the final score coming with 2:12 remaining in the contest.

Next Week: Oakland returns home for the first time since Week 2 and faces its first AFC West foe of 2016 in the San Diego Chargers. The longtime rivals have split their last dozen meetings over the past six seasons but a year ago, the Silver and Black swept this series for the first time since 2010.

Playoff hopes: If you are a franchise that haven’t been to the postseason since 2002, you have to be giddy if you’re the Raiders. A year ago, this was a team that was respectable 4-4 away from home but this season Oakland has already notched three road victories. Now Jack Del Rio’s club will face all three of their divisional rivals in the next five weeks – and all at home.