The two professional football teams in the bay area - Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers are poised to make the playoffs for the first time in a while. Both teams have recovered from having absolutely horrible seasons and both have new head coaches.
For the 49ers (9-2) signing Jim Harbaugh as head coach was one of the best moves that they have done. Harbaugh was the perfect fit for a 49ers team that has one of the best running backs in all of the NFL, Frank Gore. This coming Sunday, the 49ers can clinch, guarantee themselves, a playoff berth - 4 weeks before the season ends. While the 49ers wins haven't been flashy or pretty by any means, the niners know how to win games. Alex Smith, quarterback, is finally managing the game like a professional and that's largely due to Harbaugh's coaching style.
On the other side of the bay, the Oakland Raiders (7-4) are also having one of their most successful seasons in a long time. This season has been interesting for the Raiders to say the least. The Raiders began the season 4-2 and were beginning to look like a legitimate team. However in the seventh game of the season, quarterback Jason Campbell broke his colloarbone, thus preventing him from playing again for the entire season. The Raiders then immediately signed Carson Palmer, and it appeared that all was lost. In his first action with the Raiders, he threw three interceptions - in one half. In his next game, he lost to a Denver Bronco team once again throwing three interceptions. However, after time to gel with the team, Palmer has found his swagger and has led the Raiders to three consecutive wins and first place in the AFC West.
While the Raiders are currently playing well, their path to the playoffs will be much more difficult than that of the 49ers. The Raiders currently lead their division by one game over the very hot Denver Broncos. The Broncos play two more tough games and will probably finish the season 9-8. The Raiders, on the otherhand, will end the season against two playoff teams, Kansas City team that beat the Raiders, and a talented but underachieving San Diego squad. Despite having a much more difficult finishing schedule than the Broncos, I think the Raiders can win two of their final four games and will finish the season 10-6. If they finish 10-6, the Raiders will earn a playoff spot and will likely face the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, or the Cincinati Bengals. If they get the Steelers or Broncos, the Raiders will have a difficult time winning, but if they get the Bengals, they have a higher chance to win. This is because the Bengals have a young quarterback, and Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer last played for the Bengals and was furious with the way they treated him. Expect Palmer to play with extra fire.
Eric,
ReplyDeleteI can tell that you are really paying attention to your audience (who may not know much of sports) and are writing with the understanding of who they are. It's nice to see that the bay area teams have been picking up some steam.
This post reminds me of the recent death of the Raider's owner. Considering that he was simply the owner and not a coach, I would be interested to know if his death had or will have any impact on the team's performance.