Cardinals History vs. Raiders Not on Their Side

Tomorrow's Arizona Cardinals - Oakland Raiders match up will be just the fifth game between the two teams since the Cards moved to Arizona in 1988.  With the recent successes of the Cards and the recent failures of the Raiders, you would think this is an easier call to make as to who will win, even given the current makeup of the Cards roster.

Not so fast.

In the previous four games Oakland has a 3-1 advantage.  In the three victories, the Raiders have outscored the Cardinals 85-50.  The one loss for the Raiders was in 2001 in overtime, a 34-31 affair.

Let's not kid ourselves here.  The previous games have nothing to do with this one.  The last time the two teams tangled was in 2006, in Oakland, with the Cards losing 22-9.  These two teams are different now.  Well, Oakland is still a pretty poor team, but Arizona may catch up to them soon.  We'll see about that.

Tomorrow's game is a game that the Cards most definitely should win.  Of course now that I said that, Oakland probably defies all odds and wins this thing easily.  Oh, let's not hope so.  If the Cards can't muster a victory over the Raiders, at home, in their opener, this team has much bigger issues.  Problem is, at 1-2, they could easily still be in first place after tomorrow.  San Francisco could be 0-3 if they get beat on the road at Kansas City.  Seattle has a tough game at home against San Diego.  It's sad, but yet a very distinct possibility.  Here's hoping the Cards bring it tomorrow and the rest of the division takes the day off.