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

Garett Bolles vs. Clelin Ferrell

Clelin Ferrell has proven to be a great asset to the Oakland Raiders already and the season hasn’t even started. Garett Bolles, on the other hand, has really good rush blocking, but lacks the footwork of an elite left tackle.

Ferrell has a high motor, which often leads to sacks and quarterback hits, but his most impressive attribute is his get off. Going back and watching film on Bolles, I see a few things Ferrell can attack. Bolles lacks hip movement when the rush switches from bull to speed and has a hard time adjusting on the fly.

However, his strength is in run blocking where he can be aggressive and push back on the defensive end. Bolles allows sacks on 22% of speed rushes and 18% on bull rushes. While statistically non-different, it’s just enough that maybe Ferrell has a chance to get off quickly on Bolles.

The Key

Getting off the ball quickly is key for Ferrell and the Raiders against an experienced quarterback with a tendency to throw interceptions on pass rushes.

Solution

The Raiders need to be aggressive on the score and get up early so the defense can pin their ears back and go after Flacco to force mistakes out of him.