Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos: 5 matchups to watch
By John Buhler
It’s going to be a great game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Here are five matchups that should have your intrigue.
This might be the best game on the slate in Week 4. We’ve got a great division rivalry game in Denver when the Oakland Raiders take on the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. Kickoff will be at 1:25 p.m. PT. This will be the featured CBS game of the late afternoon slate.
Both teams enter play at 2-1, having both suffered their first loss of the season. Denver couldn’t get it done on the road against a surprisingly good Buffalo Bills team in Orchard Park. Oakland was embarrassed on national television by getting trounced by the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football.
With another rival in the Kansas City Chiefs still undefeated at 3-0, Oakland and Denver will want a win in the worst way on Sunday afternoon. Oakland wins with offense, while it is defense that Denver leans on. Something has to give in this early season rivalry game in Denver.
There will be a ton of great players on the field in this high stakes game. Here are five man-on-man matchups that should have your intrigue heading into the big game on Sunday afternoon at Mile High.
Justin Ellis vs. Matt Paradis
The strength of the Broncos’ lackluster offensive line is at center. Matt Paradis has emerged as one of the best centers in football. Though he’s not an All-Pro, he is a Pro Bowl level player that is in the discussion with the likes of Rodney Hudson and Alex Mack.
Going against him on the other side would be Raiders defensive tackle Justin Ellis. He will get his toughest challenge at the center position this week. Ben Jones is good, but not great with the Tennessee Titans. Paradis is a big step up from Jones in this one.
Being able to compromise the integrity of the Broncos’ pocket won’t be easy, especially with the way that Paradis can play. Oakland is better off getting pressure off the edge and certainly has the playmakers to do that.
The problem is that the Broncos are running the football well with running backs C.J. Anderson and former Chief Jamaal Charles. If Ellis can’t slow down the Broncos’ ground game, it could be a long afternoon for the Raiders defense. Look for Ellis to help set the tone in the trenches for the Silver and Black.