Oakland Raiders: 5 keys to victory over Denver Broncos in Week 12
By John Buhler
This will be the third career start for former first-round pick in Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch. He has played sparingly in his first two years out of Memphis. His first two starts came last year when Trevor Siemian got hurt. Lynch had been banged up this year, but will get the nod on Sunday for Denver.
Though many have labeled him a bust already, Lynch did have a ton of hype coming out of Memphis as a junior in 2016. He’s 6-foot-7 with a powerful right arm and dual-threat playmaking abilities. However, the speed of the NFL has been tough for him to overcome, as he is not quick enough to dissect defenses at the professional level.
With that in mind, this is a perfect time for John Pagano to reclaim this sunken ship of a Raiders’ defense. While new Broncos offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave may opt on the side of precaution with Lynch in his first start, Lynch is more than capable of turning the football over. Maybe the Raiders’ can take advantage?
In short, the Raiders need to generate a bunch of pressure off the edge with the pass rush and not get beat senselessly on blown coverages in the secondary. Making Lynch beat the Raiders on the road is the right call for Oakland. Just make him uncomfortable all afternoon and the Raiders should be good.