The Las Vegas Raiders will travel to Empower Field at Mile High to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 10. The two teams will kick off the NFL slate for the week, but find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum in the AFC West.
Las Vegas is 2-6 and last in the division, thanks in large part to an underperforming offense that ranks 29th in scoring and 30th in total yards. Meanwhile, Denver is 7-2 and leading the AFC West due to an elite defensive unit that ranks fourth in scoring defense and third in total yards allowed.
While the Raiders' offense had its best performance of the year in Week 9, scoring a season-high 29 points, they will face a much tougher challenge on Thursday Night Football. They must look to slow down a Broncos pass rush that is on a record-setting pace if they hope to find similar success against their division rival.
Raiders must slow down Broncos pass rush to pull off a Week 10 upset
The Broncos have been simply elite at getting after the quarterback, as their 40 sacks not only lead the league, but are 12 more than the second-place Detroit Lions. The Raiders are well aware that they must slow the unit down to come away with their third win of the season.
Chip Kelly noted as much during his media availability on Tuesday.
"(Broncos defensive coordinator) Vance (Joseph) has done a really nice job. I think he mixes and matches his schemes. I think he plays to his strengths. Obviously, it starts up front. That defensive front is the best in football right now," Kelly said. "They have the most sacks by ten or more right now. I think they have 40, and nobody's even in the 30s. So, they can generate pressure. He doesn't have to all out (blitz), but he will all out you. So, you can't say, 'Oh, they don't have to all out because they've got a really good four-man rush'. But they will all out you, and if you're not ready for it, they're going to get shots on your quarterback. So, I think they can disrupt the timing from their pass rush standpoint, and they can present multiple coverages on the backend."
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Geno Smith echoed his offensive coordinator's comments about facing an elite pass rush during the same press conference.
"(Getting rid of the ball quick is) important. It's important every week. I mean, there's a great pass rush on every single defense in the NFL," Smith said. "And getting the ball out, protecting our guys up front with getting the ball out, not holding onto it too long, it's very important. And it's important that our guys are running their routes and getting to the spots. The protection is critical up front. And then, obviously, me being accurate with the ball, getting it out on time, in rhythm, allowing us to succeed and be at our best self."
The Broncos' pass rush has the ability to change the game in a major way. In addition to leading the league in sacks, they have recorded a sack in every game, at least three sacks in seven of their nine games, and five or more sacks four separate times. Denver is currently on pace for 75 sacks, which would break the Chicago Bears' 1984 record of 72 sacks.
Additionally, they have several game changers on their defensive line, as Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Zach Allen, and John Franklin-Myers have combined for 24 of those sacks. The unit has dominated much better offensive lines than the Raiders' group during their monster season.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas' offensive line has allowed middle-of-the-pack pass rushes, such as the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders, to go off for four and five sacks, respectively. If players such as Stone Forsythe and DJ Glaze are unable to contain Bonitto and Cooper, Smith and the Raiders' offense could be in for a long night.