RaiderDamus' Thursday Foretelling Week 14: Raiders vs. Broncos

Greetings, Raider fans! It is I, RaiderDamus, back again to let you all know of the inevitabilities I have foreseen regarding the Raiders' game tonight against Denver. There will be weeping. There will be gnashing of teeth. There will be sackcloth and ashes. There will be blood. The sun will be blotted out of the sky and the forces of evil (aka Denver, Colorado) will invade the Raider homeland. Time to man the lifeboats.

A reasonable person might suggest that the Raiders should tank their remaining games, to get a better draft pick. There are two problems with this. First is that the Raiders are not good enough to intentionally lose a game. They lose even when they try hard. Tanking is not an option. It's just called losing.

Secondly, this may be the worst year in recent memory to have the first overall pick. There is no Andrew Luck, no Eli Manning, no Matt Stafford at the top of the draft. Geno Smith was number two, Matt Barkley was number one. Barkley got scared and turned in his wings. Now Geno is number one. If Geno screws up in the combine he'll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong.

The best the Raiders can hope for is that someone falls in love with a player at the top- Smith, Jarvis Jones, Damontre Moore, or Star Lotulelei. The Raiders could use all those players except Smith, but what they need more than that is a package like what the Rams got for the second pick last season. Say what you will about the Redskins overpaying and being suckers, but as of this week RG3 is the top overall fantasy player and the best Washington QB since Doug Williams. He was worth every penny they paid, and with the picks the Rams got they can actually have a good team again. The Raiders should try to get something like this. If they can't, they should take Lotulelei. I say this because the Lions turned things around when they drafted Ndamukong Suh, not when they drafted Calvin Johnson or Matt Stafford.

But onto tonight's game. I've saved it for last because I don't want to talk about it. It's going to be a bloodbath and a tragedy. The Broncos are going to embarrass us, and that's hard because the Raiders have no dignity left. I don't think it's fair to blame Dennis Allen for this, the whole team has been beset with injuries (especially the secondary) and an overall lack of talent. Greg Knapp isn't the right answer, but it's not entirely his fault. The team just isn't very good due to lack of overall talent. The Raiders need a few draft cycles to work through it. I was in favor of Reggie's picks last year with his limited resources and I am anxious to see what he can do with a nearly full slate or picks, especially ones that will be so high on the board.

Sigh. I have to make my prediction now. Broncos 42, Raiders 13. I don't care if it's eleven in the morning, start drinking now.