Oakland Raiders: 5 keys to victory over Denver Broncos in Week 12
By John Buhler
The Oakland Raiders have a huge rivalry on tap Sunday afternoon versus the Denver Broncos. Here are the five keys to victory for the Silver and Black.
The Oakland Raiders are pretty much in win-now mode for the rest of the season. This is the reality for this underperforming favorite team of ours, as the Silver and Black have gone a miserable 4-6 through 11 weeks.
Fortunately, the Raiders are still alive in the AFC West and AFC playoff mix. They only trail the Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) by two games in the division race. Oakland is a game back of the Baltimore Ravens (5-5) for the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoff picture.
The Raiders have a big opportunity for a w on Sunday, as they will host a reeling Denver Broncos team in Week 12. Denver has not win since beating the Raiders at Mile High back on Oct. 1 in Week 4. The Broncos find themselves at 3-7 are largely out of the playoff race in the AFC.
Oakland is the favorite in this rivalry game, as it will be at The Coliseum. However, Denver would love nothing more than to drag down the Raiders in this game. Here are the five keys to victory for the Raiders when they take on the Broncos on Sunday afternoon.
Know where Von Miller is at all times.
Denver may have lost six games in a row, but the Broncos still have one of the best players in football in outside linebacker Von Miller. Miller is more than capable of getting after any passer he choses. He has a very favorable matchup on Sunday versus Oakland.
It has come en vogue to have a team’s best pass rusher line up on the strong side, as opposed to attacking a quarterback’s blind side. That means Miller will be lining up opposite of Oakland’s inconsistent right tackle Marshall Newhouse. While Newhouse played well out of the gate, he has dealt with injuries for the last month plus. This has greatly affected his play.
Add in that right guard Gabe Jackson has struggled mightily this season due in large part to injury and Miller could have a field day rushing the passer for the Broncos. Knowing where Miller is at all times is paramount in devising the right protection schemes to keep Derek Carr upright.
Miller will be able to force a strip sack if he can spend enough time in the Raiders’ backfield. Either Carr will look to get the ball out of his hands quickly or have enough confidence to move around in the pocket to evade the formidable pass rusher that is Miller. Miller can wreck an offensive coordinator’s game plan, so be careful, Raiders.