Oakland Raiders: 3 matchups key to a victory against the Denver Broncos

Bryce Callahan vs. J.J Nelson

Bryce Callahan has a checkered past with fast and shifty receivers. Now that Brown is out of town for the Raiders, this falls on J.J Nelson to get past Callahan.

Williams is one of the more elite preparers, and players in the game, and some feel he can be the best wideout in the league. But why am I mentioning Willams when one of the key’s in J.J Nelson? Because, Chris Harris is one of the best cornerbacks in the game right now.

On the other hand, Bryce Callahan let JuJu Smith-Schuster run rapid with 13 receptions and 189 yards with a touchdown.

Williams has the talent if not more than Smith-Schuster, and Callahan is not good in man-to-man coverage. The Broncos cornerback has some coverage issues but is an excellent tackler. On single coverage, he defends on 28% of passes thrown his way, and on third down, he only defends 8% of passes thrown his way.

Last year, Williams caught 34 passes on third down and 23 were of 8 yards or more. Callahan also has a hard time in zone coverage with allowing 72% of passes go by and 3 of those passes were touchdowns in the red-zone.

The Key

Getting Williams one-on-one in the red zone with cornerback who is 7 inches shorter than him is important. Making sure he has the ability to get open will help the Raiders win.

Solution

Play-action and getting Williams in space with quick slants where he can use his body, and routes such as digs, and deep post routes against a single high safety. Also, getting him in space on third down where Williams can excel too.