4. Brock Osweiler has faced the Raiders before, will that familiarity help him or the Raiders defense (specifically Khalil Mack, who got five sacks in Denver last season) more?
There will be some familiarity there for Osweiler, but also a more talented defense with new faces awaits him. Osweiler still has a lot on his plate as far as playing up to the size of his recently signed contract, but he does have his only 300 yard game against registered against the Raiders. He could gain a lot respect league wide if he pulls off another such performance on Monday night, and gets his team a huge win.
5. With the high altitude in Mexico City, that favor a big legged kicker like Sea Bass; who has more range than Nick Novak. How else do you see the environment affecting the game?
Obviously it affects their endurance when climbing that high, but the Raiders have been taking precautions with that in using oxygen masks while working in the weight room. It definitely balances out the playing field though, certainly in favor of the Texans, in that this is an away ‘home’ game for Oakland. A Monday night game following the previous win they had against Denver would absolutely have the coliseum rocking. A strong showing from both team’s fans should have the playing field even, while all the other factors affect both teams. Look for King and Lechler to have a very impressive showing, giving both defenses good field position.
6. What is your predicted score?
I’ll take the “home” team in this one, and say Raiders over the Texans 31-20