The No. 2 pass defense in the league will be without two key members as it travels to the No. 4 defense for a Sunday Night Football matchup. Cornerback Kayvon Webster (hamstring) was ruled out and did not travel with the Broncos on Saturday when they left Denver for Oakland. The Broncos were already to be without starting cornerback Aqib Talib (back), who was ruled out and will miss his second consecutive game with a back injury.

Webster’s absence will also affect special teams, where he played a significant role – especially in punt coverage – when healthy. Thankfully for Denver, they’re somewhat accustomed to playing without Webster. He left last week’s win against San Diego in the first quarter and did not return. Webster also missed a Week 5 loss to Atlanta.

Lorenzo Doss has played well in place of Webster, especially last week against San Diego where he made a critical pass defense on fourth-and-goal late in the fourth quarter. Doss was Denver’s No. 2 defensive player against the Chargers, according Pro Football Focus.

On Thursday, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips praised Doss’s performance, saying, “He made the fourth down play on the 2-yard line for us. He came out and played a good game for us so he was ready to play. I’m pleased about that. If he has to go in and play more, he will, but he played a lot in that last game and did some good things … He’s a smart player, but it’s instincts. He anticipates well and then does it. Some guys react quick, but they don’t anticipate and he anticipates things.”

Doss will earn the ninth active status of his career and Taurean Nixon has been promoted to the active roster in Webster’s absence.

As for Talib’s absence, Bradley Roby will again step into the No. 2 cornerback role opposite Chris Harris. Last week Roby had a pick-six and earned the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

The Broncos face a much stiffer task this week, however, heading to Oakland to face a Raiders offense that is averaging 285 yards per game passing and 26.9 points per game, both in the top five in the league. Quarterback Derek Carr is tied for third in the league with 17 touchdowns and completing 66 percent of his passes.

Head coach Gary Kubiak knows the Broncos will have their hands full on Sunday night.

“[He’s only been sacked] nine times,” Kubiak said on Friday. “That’s a credit to him. They do a lot of empty. When you go empty, people come get you and get rid of the ball. He’s doing that. This guy is escaping, he’s getting rid of the ball, he’s saving sacks and he’s doing things that are the difference between winning and losing. He’s protecting the football, too. He’s just playing at a really high level.”

The Denver secondary has been playing at a high level for years now. They’ll have to continue to do so without another key figure against Oakland.