The Denver Broncos have won their past five games with the Raiders in Oakland.
Yet Sunday night’s nationally televised game between the two 6-2 teams tied for the lead in the AFC West is setting up as a far different clash than others at O.co Coliseum in recent years.
Now, the Raiders appear to be a franchise on the rise, with a dangerous and exciting offense led by quarterback Derek Carr and receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Oakland’s defense, meanwhile, has end-linebacker Khalil Mack, who had five sacks in his last matchup with the Broncos in Denver in 2015.
“We all know the atmosphere, how tough it is to play (in Oakland),” Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak told reporters this week. “But the fact that they’ve got a really good football team … probably the biggest football team we’ll play. They’re moving the ball. The quarterback is playing extremely well. You all know the problems we had with their pass rushers last year, so it’s a big challenge and it’s a big game early in the second half of the season.”
The Raiders, coming off a comeback victory over Tampa Bay last week, are averaging 285.1 yards per game passing, the top mark in the AFC. But Oakland will have to contend with a terrific Broncos secondary that is allowing only an NFL-best 183.9 yards per game.
Said Carr, of the challenge: “They’re great cover guys. They’re very smart and they know where their help is. You can see it. You can see them talking on film. They know where their help is. If a ball gets completed, they’re looking at each other, correcting it themselves as players. That’s credit to them.”
It’s an exciting matchup of the Raiders’ explosive offense vs. a defense that carried the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory last season. It could come down to how well the Raiders’ offensive line – which has done a great job protecting Carr this season – will fare against a Broncos front seven that features Von Miller, possibly the NFL’s best pass rusher.
Raiders
“I think we’re squarely focused on the opponent this week,” said Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, when asked about his offensive line’s matchup Sunday. “There’s some X’s and O’s that we need to cover in each and every meeting. We have a good routine where we’re prepared and focused on our side of the ball and playing good technique with what we do. We definitely have our hands full with some of the matchups this week, but that’s common for each and every week.”
Oddsmakers have made the game even, or given the Raiders a 1-point edge. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
