The Las Vegas Raiders will end the season series against one of their divisional rivals.
On Sunday, the Raiders (2-8) will square off against the Denver Broncos (6-5) at Allegiant Stadium.
The Raiders will be hoping to snap a six-game losing streak, which just so happened to start against these same Broncos in Week 5 when the Raiders fell 34-18 in Denver. Meanwhile, the Broncos have wild card aspirations coming into this matchup, so they are hoping to exit Las Vegas with their postseason hopes intact.
“Keep trucking ahead man, horse blinders on, look forward, can’t look behind me, can’t worry about the past,” said head coach Antonio Pierce. “Trying to win a game this week against a divisional foe, somebody we know very well, feel comfortable with, and obviously we feel like we match up well. But we got to take care of the ball, penalties, and at the end of the day when we have opportunities in the red zone and on third down, we got to be better at situational football. So, those are things that we worked on this week, excited about where we’re at.”
If the Raiders want to avoid being swept by the Broncos, here are three things that must happen:
Win the pass rush battle
While it will not receive much hype, this game will be a battle on who can bring the quarterback down.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby has been one of the NFL’s top pass rushers for a long time, but he is having a down year by his standards. While his 6.5 sacks is certainly a strong number, Crosby has been held without a sack in the last three games as defensive injuries have allowed teams to key in on him more. Against the Broncos, the Raiders offensive line will have to contend against multiple pass rushing threats. The group is headlined by linebacker Nik Bonitto, who is enjoying a breakout year with an already career-high of nine sacks (tied for third in the NFL.) Linebacker Jonathan Cooper is second on the Broncos with 6.5 sacks, while defensive linemen Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers have notched five apiece.
If the Raiders want to win, Crosby is going to have to turn up the heat, and he is more than content to do exactly that.
“My goals never change,” Crosby said. “I love the doubt. I love the negativity. It’s just another opportunity to rise, and I plan on doing that. Keep leading, keep showing up, keep being the example, and that’s all I can do.”
Next man up
As has been the case for the Raiders far too often this season, injuries are affecting the lineup for this game.
Starting cornerbacks Jakorian Bennett and Nate Hobbs have both been ruled out against the Broncos, while top two running backs Zamir White and Alexander Mattison are considered doubtful. Even if cornerback Jack Jones, who is questionable, can play, the Raiders will have to rely on the likes of Decamerion Richardson and Darnay Holmes to keep quarterback Bo Nix from having a big day. On the ground, the Raiders will have a top two of Ameer Abdullah and Dylan Laube to hopefully put a spark into a stagnant running game.
Laube, a sixth-round pick in this April’s draft, is a notable inclusion, as he has only carried the ball once and lost a fumble on that single touch. This is his first real chance to truly gain the trust of this coaching staff, and the hope is that he will embrace the opportunity and thrive in offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s scheme.
“The key word right there is work ethic, because he’s a scout team running back there, giving us a good look,” Pierce said about Laube. “Obviously, we had some fumbles early on, talked about that with the ball security. And again, here’s a great example, right? Well, here’s your opportunity. Are you ready?
Spoiler alert
The two teams in this game are at opposite ends of the NFL pantheon, but the Raiders could use that to their advantage.
With a 2-8 record, the Raiders are all but mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. They are strictly playing for pride at this juncture of the season, as players and coaches all try to secure their place on the team for next season. Meanwhile, the Broncos hold the last wild card spot in the AFC, meaning the margin for error they have is slim to none. With every mistake carrying far more implications on the Broncos than the Raiders, the Silver and Black can afford to play loose and leave it all out on the field. The Raiders are playing for pride, and ruining a divisional rival’s ambitions will keep spirits high.
“It’s on all of us to find ways to win,” said Crosby. “That’s all we can do. You play for pride. There’s still a lot of football left, a lot to play for in a lot of ways. We’ve just got to keep showing up.”
