Raiders at Bengals -- Week 12

Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, (turf, outdoors)

When: Sunday,  1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Spread: Bengals by 8

Forecast: Partly cloudy with a 10 percent chance of rain, temperatures expected in the 40s at kickoff.

Records: Raiders (Overall: 3-7, AFC West: 1-2); Bengals (Overall: 5-5, AFC North: 1-3)

Past results: Two most recent meetings -- Nov. 22, 2009: Raiders 20, Bengals 17; Dec. 10, 2006: Bengals 27, Raiders 10. Series record: Raiders lead the regular season series 18-8 and the postseason series 2-0. They've won four of the past five games.

What matters:  The Raiders have lost three straight games by a combined score of 135-69 and will try to end that slide on the road, where they have just one win this season. They're 0-3 in road games in the Eastern Time Zone, losing to Miami (35-13), Atlanta (23-20) and last week to Baltimore (55-20).

Who matters: The game's two biggest storylines revolve around Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer, a former Bengal, and ex-Raiders coach Hue Jackson, Cincinnati's assistant special teams/secondary coach. Palmer spent his first eight NFL seasons with Cincinnati before refusing to play last year for the Bengals, forcing a trade and landing in Oakland on Oct. 18. Palmer is braced for an angry reception from jilted Bengals fans when he returns to Paul Brown Stadium for the first time since being traded. Jackson, who spearheaded the trade for Palmer last year, was fired by the Raiders last year after going 8-8 in his lone season. Jackson won't say it, but you can imagine how badly he wants to beat the team that fired him after he came one win away from making the playoffs.

Key matchups: Raiders CBs Michael Huff and Ron Bartell vs. Bengals WR A.J. Green: Green, a second-year player, has caught at least one touchdown pass in a Bengals single-season record nine straight games. He has 64 catches for 911 yards -- 14.2 per catch -- and Bengals QB Andy Dalton is not afraid to throw it his way even if there's a defender nearby. Huff has had three straight rough weeks and will be a likely target. ... Raiders RB Marcel Reece vs. Bengals' front seven: Reece, who started the first eight games at fullback, will make his third straight start at running back in place of injured starter Darren McFadden (ankle) and backup Mike Goodson (ankle). Reece rushed for a career-high 103 yards on 19 carries -- 5.4 a pop -- last week against New Orleans, and Raiders coach Dennis Allen appears adamant about establishing the run. Reece also caught four passes for 90 yards and could be a matchup problem for Cincinnati's linebackers out of the backfield.

Injuries of note: Starting RB Darren McFadden and backup Mike Goodson will each miss their third straight game with lingering high ankle sprains. Starting DT Richard Seymour is also out for the third straight week with a nagging hamstring injury, as well as a sore knee. RB Taiwan Jones (ankle) and DE Jack Crawford (toe) are questionable. After missing last week's game with a neck injury, SS Tyvon Branch is listed as probable for Cincinnati and is expected to start.

Inside stuff:  Raiders rookie OT Tony Bergstrom was in for 11 plays last week against New Orleans, most of them as a third tight end. The Raiders ran for 120 yards and Bergstrom will likely get more work in the "jumbo" package this week. A third-round pick out of Utah, Bergstrom was the Raiders' top overall draft choice this year. They want to get him and some of the other young players some experience down the stretch.

Connections: Raiders QB CarsonPalmer played his first eight seasons for the Bengals, who drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003 out of USC. ... Ex-Raiders coach Hue Jackson, fired by Oakland after last season, is Cincinnati's assistant special teams/secondary coach. ... Former Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who was with Oakland from 2009-2010 and started eight games, is a Bengals backup. In 2009, Gradkowski led Oakland to a 20-17 comeback win over Cincinnati, as the Raiders scored 10 points in the final 41 seconds. ... Former Raiders LB Thomas Howard is on injured reserve for Cincinnati.

Record watch: Huff has 11 career interceptions and needs one more to pass Nnamdi Asomugha, Mike Davis, Tory James and Phil Villapiano for 23rd place on the Raiders' all-time list.

Stats you should know: With 103 rushing yards and 90 receiving last week, Reece fell just short of becoming the second Raider with at least 100 rushing and 100 receiving yards in a game. Marcus Allen is the only Raider who has accomplished the feat.

Looking ahead: After Sunday's game at Cincinnati, the Raiders will play three straight home games, facing Cleveland, Denver -- on a Thursday night -- and Kansas City. Then they'll finish the season with back-to-back road games at Carolina and San Diego.

Prediction: Bengals 31, Raiders 20

Follow Raiders reporter Eric Gilmore on Twitter @CBSRaiders.