Oakland Raiders: Keys to the Game Against Denver

Aug 2, 2014; Canton, OH, USA; Oakland Raiders fan Ray Perez as Dr. Death and Denver Broncos fan Chuck DeVorss as Broncnator pose at the TimkenSteel Grand Parade on Cleveland Avenue in advance of the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday the 0-8 Oakland Raiders will host the AFC Champion Denver Broncos in a Week 10 clash at the O.co Coliseum in a game that will feature one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Peyton Manning going against a quarterback the Raiders hope is their franchise leader of the future in Derek Carr for the first time in an AFC West rivalry matchup.

The Raiders-Bronco rivalry has became one sided since Manning has came to town and the oddsmakers feel that will repeat on Sunday as Oakland are 11 point underdogs at Vegas, a number that makes sense based on the fact that the Raiders have only been able to keep games competitive this season while Peyton Manning should be motivated to run up the score after losing to the Patriots.

However Oakland does have some things going for them leading into hosting the Broncos at the Coliseum. Khalil Mack is playing at an elite pace in his rookie season, tight end Mychal Rivera is finally living up to the flashes of promise he showed during his rookie season, and even much maligned DJ Hayden put himself in plenty of big play opportunities against the Seahawks in a game in which the Raiders had plenty of opportunity to steal an upset on the road over a Seattle team that beat the brakes off of Denver in the Super Bowl last season.

So what will it take to get a win over Denver on Sunday at the Coliseum? Here are some of the keys to the game.