Oakland Raiders: 5 keys to victory vs. Denver Broncos
By John Buhler
Week 4 will be the toughest matchup of the year so far for the Oakland Raiders. After getting trounced on the road in Week 3 by the Washington Redskins, Oakland will have to play its division rival Denver Broncos on the road at Mile High.
Like Oakland, Denver is 2-1 on the year. The Broncos are also coming off their first loss of the season on a road trip east in Week 3. Denver fell in Orchard Park to the Buffalo Bills early last Sunday afternoon.
Both the Raiders and the Broncos are a game back of the AFC West leaders in the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City is one of two teams that remains undefeated this season. Oakland and Denver will want this division win in the worst way to keep pace with the Chiefs in the AFC West.
With this being a home game for the Broncos, the Raiders will be the underdog in this one. If the Raiders want to go into Mile High and come out with a victory, here are five things they will have to do to get that third win of the season.
Minimize the drops in the receiving game
One big problem that the Raiders have had this season is they have had too many dropped passes by their receiving corps. Though the running game looks to be improved, Oakland is still a pass-first offense with Derek Carr under center. Seeing its best receivers drop the ball too often took the Raiders out of Sunday night’s game completely.
Week 3’s pass catching woes could be chalked up to a lack of focus in a crazy weekend in the NFL. However, it wasn’t like the Redskins came into the game with an elite secondary. Instead, Washington got outstanding games from cornerback Josh Norman and safety D.J. Swearinger.
When Oakland takes on Denver, the Raiders cannot afford to drop passes, period. This is because the Broncos’ No Fly Zone defense might feature the best cover cornerbacks in all of football. Chris Harris Jr., Bradley Roby and Aqib Talib have been terrific so far this season for the Broncos.
Simply put, this is Denver’s strength as a football team. One could argue that the Raiders’ receiving corps might be their best unit outside of the offensive line. Oakland will have to rise to the challenge of going up against the No Fly Zone defense, but the Raiders’ receivers can do it.