For our preview of the Raiders’ week 12 matchup with the Broncos, I spoke with. Jon Heath, lead writer over at Broncos Wire to get the scoop.
1. I asked before the first meeting between these two teams and you weren’t quite ready to commit to it, so now that he’s had a few more games under his belt…are you a Bo-liever?
I am, and I think it’s about the fit as much as it’s about Bo Nix himself. Sean Payton wasn’t going to waste a first-round draft pick on a QB he didn’t believe could operate his offense at a high level. Nix will still have some growing pains, but he’s made huge strides from earlier in the season and Payton has remarked that he’s adjusted to the pro level quickly. It appears that the Broncos have finally found their guy at QB.
2. That Broncos defense is legit. What makes it tick?
They have great defensive backs who can hold up in man coverage, productive edge rushers and an underrated interior defensive lineman in Zach Allen. On that front, it’s worth noting that Allen is questionable this week with a heel injury, so he would be missed if the Broncos have to hold him out this week. Back to the secondary — Pat Surtain remains an elite outside cornerback, Riley Moss has been a huge surprise this season and Ja’Quan McMillian has been excellent in the slot. With those DBs playing well, Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto have been productive off the edge. Vance Joseph leans on the secondary and that allows other players to make plays up front.
3. What area could the Raiders attack on that defense and maybe find a weakness to exploit?
Denver’s defense can be susceptible to the run, and even more so if Allen is not able to play on Sunday. In passing scenarios, the inside linebackers — Cody Barton and Justin Strnad — are weak links in coverage, but usually only one of them would be on the field on an obvious passing down. The Broncos’ defense is built to defend a lead with teams attempting to pass against them. If the Raiders can establish a ground game and stick to it, that might be their best plan of attack.
4. Give me an under-the-radar guy on both sides of the ball for the Broncos
Nate Adkins is the definition of an underrated player on offense because many Denver fans probably aren’t even familiar with him. He’s kind of a hybrid tight end/fullback, and he doesn’t get a lot of love for his blocking. He’s a versatile player who can also make plays as a receiver.
On defense, Allen is underrated nationally but certainly not in Broncos Country. Moss and McMillian are probably underrated, too, but you also asked for one defender. I’ll go with Allen just because he deserves more recognition outside of Denver.
5. I won’t ask whether you think the Broncos will win this one because, I mean, duh, but how do you see the Broncos finishing the stretch run? You think they can get past the Chargers in the AFC West?
That’s a great question about the Chargers. I don’t know that they’ll catch up to them — my prediction has them losing in L.A. — but I have Denver going 4-2 down the stretch, which would put them at 10-7. That would presumably be enough for a Wild Card spot, barring a crazy unbeaten run from a team like the Bengals or Dolphins.
