Despite one team making the playoffs last season and the other picking in the top five of the NFL Draft, both the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders have a lot to prove in 2015.

For the Raiders, 2015 feels like the first “real” season in a while. For the past few years, the team and their fans have been caught in a perpetual nightmare of losing season after losing season, but expectations have shifted this year.

Derek Carr enters his sophomore season as the unquestioned starter with a markedly better team around him. Viable weaponry like Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, and Latavius Murray should give Carr every opportunity to grow from his promising rookie campaign. While the offensive line remains a question mark, the addition of center Rodney Hudson and an added year of experience to second year left guard Gabe Jackson should prove as invaluable assets for the new-look offense.

On defense, things are considerably more interesting. Front and center are two massive lane-stuffers in Justin Ellis and Dan Williams. Both players may likely only play next to each other on early down work, but they aren’t the main attraction. Khalil Mack gave fans hints of his stardom in spurts last year while flaunting his league leading efficiency in the run game. For an encore performance, Mack will look to improve his pass rushing prowess and enter the upper echelon of edge rushers in the NFL.

Perhaps most intriguing of all is the late pre-season signing of Aldon Smith. The Raiders will reportedly have Smith play on Sunday—under-cutting the NFL on a potential conduct related suspension—which is a tremendous turnaround for a player signed during the week.

For week one, there will a number of intriguing match-ups that will define the outcome of the mid-Sunday afternoon bout at home against the Bengals:

Raiders offensive line vs. Geno Atkins
He’s baa-aaaack. Teams around the league aren’t quite positively anxious to see Cincinnati defensive tackle Geno Atkins return from an early season ACL tear a year ago. While the Raiders do have a better interior offensive line with the addition of Rodney Hudson, Atkins presents a persistent problem--especially on passing downs--for the Raiders offense. The Raiders would be wise to give Atkins the attention he deserves and keep his head spinning with pulling guards and stretch runs.

Raiders defensive line vs. Jeremy Hill
Jeremy Hill tore the league apart once he took lead back roles last season. His 5.1 yard per carry average was amongst the league’s best between players with similar workloads. The Raiders have been a troubled run-stopping team in recent history, but they’re roster turnover on defense was with that in mind. The aforementioned Williams and Ellis were brought in to stifle the interior and teams won’t fare any better trying to run off tackle into Mack’s territory. Most teams are aware that the best way to beat the Bengals is to have Andy Dalton become the focus of the offense—and he may be exactly that come Sunday.

Raiders defensive backs vs. A.J. Green
Of all the Raiders’ challenges on Sunday, perhaps the one which has the least amount of solutions is the A.J. Green problem. With the ink not quite dry on his new multi-year mega-deal, Green will enter Sunday’s game unburdened. The Raiders have a clear weakness in the secondary in that they don’t have a cornerback who can consistently handle a number one receiver. D.J. Hayden has made it a habit of getting beat by receivers that play with size, and the 6’4” Bengals receiver isn’t exactly doing him any favors.