Saints stay in the playoff race with win against Raiders

Reece was one of the few promising things the Raiders could take away from Sunday’s 38-17 loss. As SB Nation’s Raiders blog, Silver and Black Pride, noted in their game recap, the 27-year-old running back had a really nice game in the stat book.

Reece has made two starts now in McFadden’s absence and has rushed for 151 yards, although he’s yet to reach the end zone. He’s also hauled in 11 passes for 146 yards. His performances the past few weeks aren’t good enough to make people forget about McFadden, but at least he has assured the organization he is more than capable of being a quality No. 2 tailback moving forward.

Palmer did not have a great day. He threw two interceptions and completed just 22 of his 40 pass attempts. After falling into an early hole, the Raiders had no choice but to scrap their gameplan and air the ball out for four quarters.

Fantasy studs and duds

The Saints hold a 14-point lead, but even if they put this game away in the third quarter expect them to continue to use their passing game.

In the 2nd quarter today, RB Taiwan Jones left the game due to an ankle injury, and the Raiders are saying he is questionable to return.

Stay tuned for more injury updates, as the Raiders will more than likely end up in shootout with the Drew Brees-led Saints this afternoon.

This is the third straight game Sproles has missed due to a broken hand that required surgery earlier in November.

Ivory ran for 48 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles and followed it up with 76 yards and a touchdown in the upset victory over the Falcons.

Sproles, the nine-year veteran from Kansas State, has 117 rushing yards, 323 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season.

The Saints were winless in September, and many had them among the bottom teams in the league. Drew Brees was essentially the only good thing, but in recent weeks, things have started to pick up. The running game has been productive, which isn’t necessarily unheard of for the Saints, but it’s certainly not something they have depended on with consistency.

New Orleans bested previously undefeated Atlanta 31-27 on Sunday. Brees threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while the running game put up 148 yards. The week prior, they put up 140 yards. This rushing attack might just be what the Saints need to continue winning, without every single thing on Brees’ shoulders.

The Raiders, on the other hand, have surrendered 97 points in their last two games and are dealing with a long list of injured players. Their chances at a playoff run aren’t entirely over with in the AFC, but they’re running out of time to make a move. The defense will have to step up in a big way if they hope to win in Oakland on Sunday.

Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, 4:05 p.m. ET

New Orleans opened as a 3-point favorite, according to OddsShark.com. The Saints are 5-4 against the spread this season, but are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games. While the Saints have been surging, the Raiders have gone the opposite direction. Oakland has lost two straight, dropping to 3-6 on the season.

The Raiders are 3-6 against the spread this season, but have covered just once in their last seven games against New Orleans, dating back to 1988. The two teams have played twice since 2004 with the Saints winning both games. The total for Sunday’s game opened at 54, but recent history says that may not be high enough. The total has gone over in 11 of the Saints’ last 14 games and 11 of Oakland’s last 16.