Oakland Raiders: 5 matchups to watch vs. Denver Broncos in Week 12
By John Buhler
It might all come down to this. The Oakland Raiders are 4-6 on the season and are in desperate need of a win to stay alive in the AFC playoff picture. Fortunately for the Silver and Black, they will be hosting a team riding a terrible six-game losing streak on Sunday.
However, that team is the AFC West division rival Denver Broncos. Denver might be 3-7 on the year and has almost no shot to make the AFC playoffs, but the Broncos would love nothing more than to drag the Raiders down with them into the abyss of the AFC standings.
These two rivals met earlier in the season back in Week 4 in Denver. The Broncos would come out on top in that game by six points, as Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr would have to leave the game with a transverse process fracture in his back. Coincidentally, that was the last time the Broncos came away with a win during this football season.
In what was supposed to be a marquee late afternoon game in Week 12, this one between the Raiders and the Broncos isn’t anything of note outside of these two rival fan bases. Well, we’ve still got some football to play. Here are the five matchups you need to be watching in this AFC West rivalry game between Oakland and Denver.
Michael Crabtree vs. Chris Harris Jr.
Much will be made about the Broncos still having an elite secondary even though they give up about as many points as the Raiders’ defensive backs do. However, we do have a few interesting matchups between receivers and cornerbacks in this game. The first we will touch on is Michael Crabtree versus Chris Harris Jr.
Crabtree has been the most consistent receiver for Oakland this season. He has come up clutch a few times in the passing game for Derek Carr. Crabtree had a three-touchdown performance against the New York Jets in Week 2 and the game-winning touchdown versus the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7.
Harris is a one-of-a-kind type of player in the Broncos secondary. As the league has become more passing centric, the use of the slot receiver has become paramount in moving the sticks. Few, if any, cornerbacks are as good as covering that slot receiver than Harris over the last few years. He’s outstanding at it.
Crabtree may line up in multiple spots for the Raiders on Sunday, but we all know he’s at his best as a physical, possession receiver in the middle of the field. It will be hard for him to get open against Harris, but Crabtree too is one of the best in the league at what he does for the Raiders.