Raiders Looking to Keep Up Impressive Win Streak in 2025

2025 will be a year where they face them in back-to-back seasons, but I wouldn't be worried if I were the Raiders. While it's true that the Browns do have an impressive defense headlined by Myles Garrett and with defensive menaces across the board, the Browns' offense similarly cannot handle the Raiders' defense.

At this point of the year, both of these teams already know a bit about themselves and their season, which means that this game can be unpredictable. From outside the season, looking ahead, it's easy to predict this game as a low-scoring defensive slugfest where the winner will be determined by field goals, and touchdowns will come sparingly.

That's how their matchup in 2024 played out, with the highest receiving yards from either team being 72 yards. And yet, I want to make a bold prediction. I believe this game has all the makings for a trap game for the Raiders, and it will be a shootout to decide who wins.

In week 12 of the 2025 NFL season, the starting quarterback for the Browns is a toss-up between any of their four possible options. I don't know who will be starting in their road matchup against the Raiders, but it will affect the outcome.

If at this point in the season, the Browns' starting quarterback is either Kenny Pickett or Dillon Gabriel, I think this will be a defensive-intense matchup that doesn't have a lot of offense. However, if the starting quarterback is Joe Flacco or Shedeur Sanders, I think the Browns offense will play differently, and it'll be a high-flying offensive barrage where the defense takes a back seat.

The reason I feel so different about both of these pairs of QBs is that Pickett and Gabriel play safe, and they throw what the defense gives them. I don't anticipate that they'll be risk takers and will opt to play the long game as opposed to trying to win.

Flacco is just as susceptible to this style of play as well, but he has shown that he isn't afraid to run the offense gun blazing, even if that means turnovers. Sanders may not be accustomed to being in the starting role at this point in the season, but he has something to prove against the Raiders, as they had a chance to draft him but passed up on him, which means that I think he'd also run the offense recklessly

However the game ends up going, the Raiders have to avoid underestimating this team if they want to continue their win streak over this franchise.