As a passionate contributor covering the Denver Broncos, nothing irritates me in football quite like a loss to the Oakland Raiders.
Last season, the Broncos split the series with their AFC West rival, losing 20-30 in Oakland, but rebounding to win 24-6 in Week 17, which would end up being head coach Gary Kubiak‘s final game as the Broncos’ Head Coach.
While the Week 17 game was emotional for all of Broncos Country, as Kubiak was getting ready to step down, the win itself carried little consolation. The Raiders had already secured a playoff spot, while the 8-7 Broncos had been eliminated from playoff contention. With starting quarterback Derek Carr injured, the Raiders played the entire game with rookie Connor Cook under center.
Dissecting the Week 9 loss has much more significant value, as it shows exactly what the Broncos will need to improve on in order to regain their dominance over the Raiders.
Two glaring flaws immediately show up when studying film from this game.
The first is the Broncos’ inability to stop Khalil Mack. The eventual Defensive Player of the Year racked up two sacks against the Broncos in that particular game. One of which resulted in a 9-yard loss, the other resulted in a strip-sack of Trevor Siemian. It wasn’t the five-sack performance he had in 2016, but it was again disruptive enough to swing the game.
Regardless of who wins the starting quarterback gig, the Broncos simply cannot allow Khalil Mack to continue wreaking havoc on the quarterback. Mack has lined up primarily against the right tackle in years past, but the Broncos added depth to both tackle positions with 2017 first-round pick Garett Bolles and former Raider Menelik Watson.
Keeping Mack and the rest of the Raiders’ pass rush at bay should be priority No. 1 against in 2017.
Against the Raiders, the Broncos also need their upgraded defensive line to stand tall and focus on stopping the Raiders’ rushing attack.
During the Week 9 game, Latavius Murray ran wild that night, racking up 114 yards and three touchdowns, including a 42-yard scamper that lead to a touchdown run by Murray a few plays later.
Thankfully for the Broncos, Murray was not re-signed by the raider in free agency, signing with the Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately, his replacement is Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch, who came out of retirement to return to his hometown in Oakland, will likely be the workhorse running back for the Raiders.
Most players on the Broncos roster will remember the last time they played Lynch, as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, scoring the game-winning touchdown against the Broncos in overtime in 2014.
If the Broncos hope to keep the Raiders out of the playoffs, stopping Lynch will be key in slowing the entirety of the Raiders offense.
It’s no secret that the Broncos pass defense can get the better of the Raiders passing offense, as the statistics from last season show. Despite the Raiders scoring 30 points, Derek Carr did not throw a single touchdown pass and was held to 184 yards on 31 attempts.
It will be up to a revamped defensive line with free agent acquisitions such as Domata Peko, Zach Kerr and a returning rotation of veterans to assure that the run defense is able to contain Lynch and the rest of the Raiders’ rushing offense.
If the Broncos can contain Lynch effectively and force Carr to challenge the Broncos secondary, Denver should be able to get the better of Carr and position themselves to create turnovers or score points on defense.
The Raiders have seen a quick turnaround in recent years, going from the laughingstock of the AFC West, to Super Bowl favorites. The current odds for the Raiders to win Super Bowl LII are 12-1, compared to the Broncos at a distant 28-1.
Defeating the Raiders won’t be a cakewalk like it has been in years past. However, defeating a team poised to make a deep run into the playoffs would surely put the Broncos back into conversation to not only win the AFC West, but compete for a spot in the AFC Championship.
