Raiders vs. Bengals key matchup: Raiders secondary vs. A.J. Green

Since coming into the league last year, the QB-WR tandem of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have been unstoppable, combining for 17 touchdowns in just over a season and a half. Green is big, tall, fast, and has fantastic hands. He's everything you look for in a wide receiver and did not waste any time transitioning from his tremendous success at the University of Georgia to the same level of success in the NFL. He is the primary reason the Bengals didn't really miss a beat when Carson Palmer took his ball and went home/to Oakland.

The Raiders have struggled lately with big time wideouts- Baltimiore's Torrey Smith a few weeks ago and the fifteen or so quality receivers Drew Brees has at his disposal. The one advantage the Raiders have in this game is that across from Green on the Bengals offense is... nothing. The Bengals don't really have another receiver threat to be concerned with, aside from tight end Jermaine Gresham. Gresham has great size and hands and proved in college that he can be a real stud, but he has (in my opinion) been woefully underutilized in the Bengal offense.

The Raiders will have to seriously focus on stopping Green this week. They won't have the Bengals' running game to worry about, as it does not exist. They won't have any other receivers to worry about, as they are either substandard or ignored by the playcalling. There is no excuse for the Raiders letting Green beat them this week.