Oakland Raiders have a real shot to upset Broncos

November 9, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tackle Donald Penn (72) blocks Denver Broncos defensive tackle Sylvester Williams (92) during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Broncos defeated the Raiders 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Pass Protection

The Broncos have a scary pass-rush that leads the NFL in sacks with 18 in just four games. Giving defensive coordinator Wade Phillips two edge rushers like Von Miller and Demarcus Ware is how that happens. But this is an area that the Raiders actually match up very well with the Broncos.

The Raiders have perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Donald Penn and right tackle Austin Howard playing at a high level. The NFL knows about Penn but may have forgotten about Howard, who was a top right tackle in 2013. And after a failed experiment at guard, he’s back to playing at a high level at right tackle.

Last year, and the Broncos only sacked Carr three times in two games and they were all in one game. The right side of the offensive line was weak back then as moving Howard back to tackle solved most of that problem. This year, the Broncos are around the top of the NFL pressuring opposing quarterbacks 47 percent of the time.

The Raiders are around the top of the NFL allowing pressure only 22 percent of the time. Then you have Carr, getting rid of the ball quickly and to help his great offensive line against the great pass-rush. Great offensive lines usually beat great pass-rushes anyway so don’t worry about Carr getting sacked seven times like Teddy Bridgewater did in Week 4.

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