Oakland Raiders vs. Atlanta Falcons prediction: Who will win and why

Oakland Raiders (1-0) vs. Atlanta Falcons (0-1)

KICKOFF: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, Calif. -- TV: CBS, Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon.

SERIES HISTORY: 14th regular-season meeting. Raiders lead series, 7-6. Falcons have won the last three games -- 23-20 in Atlanta in 2012, 24-0 in Oakland in 2008 and 35-10 in Atlanta in 2004. Last Raiders win was 41-14 in 2000. In last meeting, Carson Palmer threw for 353 yards and the Raiders controlled the ball for 36:26 to 23:34 for the Falcons, but Asante Samuel returned an interception 79 yards for a touchdown for the Falcons. The Raiders rallied to tie the score, but Matt Bryant kicked a 55-yard field goal at the gun for the win.

GAMEDATE: 9/18/16

KEYS TO THE GAME: The Saints game buoyed the Raiders in their belief they can become a balanced offense, and at home they will surely try to run early and often against the Falcons. As much as Derek Carr thrives from the shotgun formation, the plan has been to have more runs from scrimmage in conventional formations. Success in that area makes the Raiders a more dangerous team in terms of play-action passes.

Defensively, look for the Raiders to give plenty of safety help against Julio Jones, especially when he is on Sean Smith's side. Look for Justin Ellis and Dan Williams to get more snaps, which in turn could free Khalil Mack more often on the outside. Mack was a focal point of New Orleans blocking schemes.

The Falcons' run defense will face a stiff test. The defense held the Buccaneers to 3.2 rushing yards per carry. The defense also forced the Bucs to go 3-for-10 on third downs. Oakland rushed for 26 times for 167 yards and three touchdowns in their thrilling 35-34 victory over the Saints. Rookie running back Jalen Richard broke loose for a 75-yard score. The Falcons will not to shut down the Raiders rushing attack in order to get into some favorable third-down situations.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

--Raiders CB Sean Smith vs. Falcons WR Julio Jones. Smith was unceremoniously benched in his first game in a Raiders uniform after being torched by Brandin Cooks. Strange as it sounds, Jones may be a batter matchup. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Smith is one of the tallest (and biggest) corners in the NFL. Jones is a 6-3, 220-pound wide receiver, someone Smith matches up better with physically than Cooks, a smallish receiver who is adept at getting loose against bigger corners in space. Either way, Smith can expect to have some safety help whenever Jones is on his side.

--Falcons CB Desmond Trufant vs. Raiders WR Amari Cooper. One of the NFL's top young corners takes on one of its top young wide receivers. Trufant, a first-round pick out of Washington in 2013, made the Pro Bowl as an alternate last year despite having only one interception. Trufant equaled that total with a Week 1 interception against Tampa Bay. Cooper, a rookie last season who faded down the stretch because of a foot injury, had six catches for 137 yards (and caught a two-point conversion) in the Week 1 win over New Orleans and appears poised to surpass a solid rookie season by being more reliable, having dropped 17 passes as a rookie.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: TE Lee Smith. The Raiders blocking tight end does the dirty work and rarely finds a pass headed his way. He didn't catch a pass against New Orleans, but had a role in a running game that had 166 yards -- including a pancake block on Paul Kruger on Jalen Richard's 75-yard run. After the Raiders lost tackles Menelik Watson (groin) and Matt McCants (knee), Smith was next up as a tackle in event of another injury.

INJURY REPORT -- Atlanta -- Out: LB De'Vondre Campbell (ankle), S Keanu Neal (knee). Questionable: DE Brooks Reed (shoulder). Oakland -- Doubtful: T Matt McCants (knee), T Menelik Watson (groin). Questionable: C Rodney Hudson (knee), G Gabe Jackson (knee), RB Taiwan Jones (concussion).

FAST FACTS: WR Mohamed Sanu had five catches for 80 yards and a score in his Falcons debut. He has two TD catches in two games vs. Oakland. ... Oakland QB Derek Carr passed for 319 yards and a touchdown last week, throwing the winning 2-point conversion to WR Michael Crabtree with 47 seconds left. The Raiders are the fourth team to score the winning points on a 2-point conversion in the final minute. ... Oakland RB Latavius Murray has 490 scrimmage yards in his past five home games. The Raiders are 3-0 when he rushes for 100 yards.

PREDICTION: The young, talented Raiders are becoming dangerous, thanks to coach Jack Del Rio's swagger, and figure to be tough for the Falcons to beat in Oakland.

OUR PICK: Raiders, 31-17.

--Chris Cluff