Week 10 Preview: Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) at Oakland Raiders (2-7)

November 20, 11:45 PMOakland Raiders ExaminerPatrick Patterson

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Chad Ocho Cinco and the Cincinnati Bengals come into Oakland on Sunday to face the Raiders. This matchup is one that illustrates how things change in the NFL. The Raiders have a long storied history of being one of the top teams in the league, whist the Bengals were once known as the Bungles and considered the joke of the league.

Meanwhile, the Raiders have fallen on hard times, and the Bengals have shed their loser image and have been at least competitive for the most part. The Raiders on the other hand, have fallen into a vast abyss of losing that was once the province of the Bengals.

Right now, the Bengals are rolling, coming off of a win over their division rival Steelers. The Raiders are reeling coming off of a tough loss to their rival Chiefs. This game will be the first start for Bruce Gradkowski after they had benched the ineffective JaMarcus Russell.

HISTORY:

The Raiders lead the all time series 17-8 The Raiders are 2-0 over the Bengals in the offseason.

First meeting: Oakland won 31-10 in a game played at the Oakland Coliseum in 1968.

Last meeting: The Bengals won 27-10 in a game played in Cincinnati in 2006.

When the Raiders have the ball: This is going to be one of the key story-lines for this game. The Raiders are starting Bruce Gradkowski for the first time. They are hoping that he can jump start an offense that has failed to score two touchdowns in a game since week one. They have not scored more than 20 points at all this season, and haven't hit that mark since week one. If it wasn't for the Cleveland Browns, the Raiders would have an offense that was the laughing stock of the league.

When the Raiders are on defense: The Raiders defense has been the model of inconsistency. Both of the Raiders wins are direct results of the defense playing out of its mind. They have also given up scores of 38 and 44. The Bengals are going to be missing Cedric Benson. However, the Raiders have had trouble stopping second and third string running backs all season. The Raiders defense is going to have to have one of their best games of the season to stop this potent offense.

For more info: Check out  RaiderNews.com for the latest on the Oakland Raiders.

You can also find Patrick Patterson on Thoughts from the Dark Side.