Three things the Broncos must do to beat the Raiders on Sunday

The Denver Broncos were unable to put together back-to-back wins and fell to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9. The offense did not get off to a hot start on the road in Atlanta, but they did make a surge in the fourth quarter just like they did the week before against the Los Angeles Chargers. Instead of coming out victorious, the Broncos fell short to the Falcons and now seem to have more questions than answers.

They get back on the road in Week 10 but this time they are headed to ‘Sin City’ to take on AFC West foe the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s another road game for the team but it’s not that far away with the Raiders having moved to Vegas. This is the first time the Broncos will play them in their new home, and it would be great for the team to come out victorious as the last time the Oakland Raiders played a game they lost – to the Broncos.

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio knows they must have balance on offense.

“You have to have the mindset that, ‘Hey, we’re going to run it, stay with it, and be patient with it,’ but you also have to have a good mix of run and pass because when you have a good mix of run and pass and the passing game is being successful that does help your running game. So, hopefully we can get that on track this week. The Raiders do a great job of running the football and they stay committed to it. You can see in the games they’ve won the number of times they rushed it. So, it’s both of the points you made to be honest with you.” Fangio said.

This is still a rivalry game. Neither team is at the top of the division, but the Raiders are better than the Broncos – record wise and talent wise. The Broncos need to prove they can beat a superior team. Here are three things the Broncos must do to beat the Raiders.

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Stop a Freight Train

The Raiders have a great running back in second-year pro Josh Jacobs. After eight games, Jacobs is the third-leading rusher in the NFL with 587 rushing yards. Jacobs is also fourth in the NFL with six rushing touchdowns so far at the halfway point of the regular season.

Jacobs is build like a freight train and can control a game on the ground. The Raiders have handed him around 20 carries per game, and Jacobs has smashed his way to a 3.6 yards per carry average. That’s not a great number but it does show the team’s intent on running the ball even if they’re not having huge success. Jacobs is a compiler who loves to run over defenders and does not shy away from contact.

Fangio knows they’ll have to contend with a run-heavy offense in Week 10.

“[Raiders Head Coach] John [Gruden’s] always been a coach and a play caller that will run the ball, he’ll stick with it, he believes in it. It’s played a big part in their wins—the amount of carries they’ve had and rushing attempts in their wins is very evident. Jacobs is a really, really good back—slasher, quick, makes good cuts—and then on contact he’s strong. They’ve got a good offensive line. They’ve done a good job of building their offense the way John wants it built with the ability to be a physical running team. Being in John’s third year, they’re seeing the fruits of that labor.” Fangio said.

In addition to Jacobs, the Raiders are also using former Broncos running back Devontae Booker as a reserve runner – and he’s having greater success with his new team than he ever did with the Broncos. Both backs are physical and can gash a defense for a big gain if defenders let them build a head of steam. Stuffing the run will be paramount for slowing down the Raiders offense.

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Use Tempo as a Weapon

The Broncos offense has been struggling early in games over the last two contests. The team fails to look good when it comes to moving the chains and scoring points over the first three quarters, then in the fourth quarter – when a defense is playing soft – the offense springs to life. The team needs to make sure they move the ball when the game is at hand and not when they’re down by 20-plus points and try to make a miraculous comeback.

Perhaps one way they could get more from the offense early is to use tempo as a weapon.

The Broncos offense has responded when they go in a ‘hurry up’ mode. They’ve gotten into that mode because they’ve been down big, but there’s a chance just using a fast-paced offense early in the game could work too.

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is thinking about utilizing more tempo on game day.

“We need to be aggressive. Then, I do like—part of my training was from the tempo world, so I do like playing fast. I think we’ve developed a pretty good system for doing it later in the game, whether it’s two minute or you’re just try to play faster, no huddle, and we do that well. We’ll just have to see what works, but I think it’s fair to say we need to get more out of the running game early and I think that’ll help us.” Shurmur said.

Tempo will help get the offense into a rhythm. Quarterback Drew Lock looks scattershot early in the game, but he tends to dial things in as a passer as the contest goes on. Going to a ‘fast break’ offense plays to his strengths as someone who can improvise and make throws on the run. It would be nice if the Broncos tried to change things up early on offense because what they’ve done the last two weeks has not looked good.

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Stop Waller

In addition to running the ball with Jacobs, the Raiders offense can attack a defense with Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller. A converted wide receiver from Georgia Tech, Waller spent years with the Baltimore Ravens but never got much of a chance to showcase his skill set at his new position. PIcked up by the Raiders last year, Waller exploded onto the scene with a 1,000-yard season in 2019 and a Pro Bowl nod.

This year, Waller has picked up where he left off. After eight games, Waller is second in the league with 50 catches. His 393 receiving yards rank fourth in the league so far, and Waller’s four receiving touchdowns are tied for seventh-best in the NFL this season.

Fangio knows the team has their hands full with a player like Waller.

“He’s a really good player. He’s got a tight end body with wide receiver abilities. He’s strong, he runs good after the catch, he’s strong at the ball when competing for it. He’s really, really a good player. It’s become harder to give him the attention you’d like to give him with the new receivers they have—[Henry] Ruggs [III] and [Nelson] Agholor and [RB Josh] Jacobs coming out of the backfield. They’ve got a really balanced offense in their skill positions. They’ve got good players all over the place. They run it very good. So, yeah, we want to give him some attention, but their personnel and their scheme makes it harder to do that consistently.” Fangio said.

The Broncos linebackers have struggled with elite-level tight ends like Waller. He’s big, he’s fast and he can make defenders look silly after the catch. Stopping Waller – or at least slowing him down – would be a great benefit for the Broncos on Sunday.

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