Photo Courtesy: Ken Lund
Game Info
Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos
Sunday – December 13 – 3:05 pm CT
TV: CBS
Sports Authority Field at Mile High – Denver, Colorado
Current Record
Oakland Raiders (5-7, 3-3 Away)
Denver Broncos (10-2, 4-1 Home)
Don’t look at the 5-7 record for the Raiders and say, “The Broncos have an easy game Sunday.” The Raiders have a really good team. Derek Carr is a capable quarterback on a good team. The Raiders are ranked 14th in total pass offense and 12th in rushing offense. The Broncos are ranked 26th in pass offense and 17th in rush offense. The key is the defense that ranks 2nd overall in the NFL and 1st in rush defense. Let’s look at the tale of the tape.
Broncos Offense
Brock Osweiler is the key for the offense. He has to manage the game and allow the backs to carry the team to a win. C. J. Anderson needs his touches to wear down the Raiders defense. The Raiders are thin on the defensive line which causes the linebackers to force more tackles in the second tier of the defense. Vernon Davis looked pretty good last week with two critical catches in the 3rd quarter to sustain a time melting drive that ended in a 41-yard field goal. Look for the offense to put the ball in the hands of the backs for the majority of the game.
Broncos Defense
Von Miller and Malik Jackson will have to apply pressure on Derek Carr. Derek Carr can scramble and run for nice gains when he gets into trouble. The secondary has to lockdown the Raiders wide outs on the perimeter. The Broncos secondary is the “No Fly Zone” defense. Amari Cooper and Micheal Crabtree will have their hands full with the physical style of defense from the Bronco corners. The Broncos corners lead the NFL in interceptions and picks for touchdowns. This will be an exciting game to watch on both sides of the ball.
My Prediction
Since coming back from the bye week and Peyton Manning’s benching, C. J. Anderson has carried the ball 57 times for 358 yards which averages out to 6.28 yards a carry. The key is running the ball against a beast defense. The final score: Denver 24 – Oakland 21!
