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Thread: MNF: Broncos V Raiders Preview

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    Default MNF: Broncos V Raiders Preview



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    Broncos @ Raiders Preview






    Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome back to Football Season.

    The Broncos will face the Oakland Raiders, in Oakland, on MNF to kick off their campaign. It is very hard to accurately predict the first game of the season. Neither teams have played a proper regular season game yet, so there is no actual play to judge from. Both teams are in a position where they could play better then expected, or worse than expected. Especially on the Broncos side of things, things are unpredictable. How will the offensive line play? How will the defensive line play? How will Selvin Young do? These are a few questions amongst many more that need answering.

    Most Broncos fans will be confident going into the game, but I will warn you , don’t be too confident. The Raiders will be up for this game. Why wouldn’t they? They’ve got their Franchise Quarterback and Running back as well as an improved Defense. It’s MNF, on their home field, against their rivals, as well as it being the first game of the season. What do they have to lose? The Raiders will put up a tougher fight than most expect. Do I think the Raiders will win? Dear god no, but they’ll put up a fight. At the end of the day, whoever wins this game has a huge advantage. If the Broncos lost this rivalry game, it could plunge them into low morale and a losing streak. After all, we play the Chargers the week after and that will be an even tougher game. It will be key to secure the win on the opening game.

    Where this game will be won and lost is on the offensive side of the ball. Let’s face it, the Oakland Raiders offensive line and Wide receivers should all be playing the in Canadian League. Honestly, a Dumervil V Kwame Harris match up isn’t even fair. Even if Darren McFadden is as good as Raider fans say he is, he won’t be able to show off anything when he has no hole to run through. Whether it’s Justin Fargas or DMC, the Raiders running game is going nowhere. The Raiders passing attack isn’t going to be much better either. Let us not forget, this will be Russell’s second career start and it will be under fierce circumstances, he could easily fluster and choke. Even if he keeps a cool head though, who does he pass to? Javon Walker is his only decent target and Champ Bailey will negate Javon. Ronald Curry is the Raiders second option, don't expect much trouble out of him, Dre' Bly will shut him down. I’m predicting a good few INT’s from JaMarcus as well as a good few sacks for Elvis Dumervil. It will be a long day for JaMarcus Russell.

    On the Broncos side of things, the passing game will be what seals the deal. The Broncos running game may struggle against a decent defensive line and some good linebackers, but the passing game will succeed, Brandon Marshall or not. In my opinion, Darrell Jackson will come out and shock some people with how good he actually is. In my opinion, Jackson and one of the Tight Ends will be Cutler's favourite target for this game. Shanahan will want to stick with safe passes in this game, with an occasional shot down deep to keep the Raiders on guard. Untill the main target, Brandon Marshall, gets back from his suspension, we won't be seeing too many aggressive play calls. With Cutler and Shanahan’s high Football IQ, the Raiders will be left baffled and bemused. As for the Raiders pass defense, Deangelo Hall is horribly overrated, the only good CB the Raiders have is Asomugha. Cutler and company will rise to victory. Going back to an earlier point, the only place the Broncos will struggle is the running game, and they may struggle quite badly. The offensive line won’t be 100% yet, whilst the Raiders Defensive Line and Linebackers will be ready. Getting rid of Montrae Holland depletes the offensive line of experience even more. I wasn't a fan of Holland, but experience is needed to mold things together. It may be a game of 2 yard gains for Selvin Young.


    Anyway, here are my keys to Stopping the Raiders:

    1. Don’t rely on the Running Game. The Raiders will shut it down, the passing game will be enough to win the game.
    2. Don’t allow Clady or Harris to be put in tricky situations. The Raiders will exploit one of the two, have Graham block that side to help them out.
    3. Field position is key! Eddie Royal needs to prove why he was worthy of being picked in the 2nd.
    4. Bring an extra pass rusher on JaMarcus Russell, he will make mistakes under the pressure.


    My Final Prediction is: Broncos 24-14 Raiders.

    Trivia Question:

    What is the all time record between Denver and Oakland when the games have been played in Oakland?

    Whoever gets this question right, gets to come up with the question for next week. If multiple people get it right, then I'll just pick whoever comes up with the best question.

    Enjoy the game!

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    We'll just have to wait to see how improved our run defense is and if we can get any pressure on Russell. That's the key to every game this season. We have to stop the run and pressure the QB all season. That's been the Broncos weakness too long and nothing improves with this team until those two things get better.

    Going to be exciting to see how well we play Monday night. I'm pretty pumped for this game. (and the next 15).

    GO BRONCOS!!!!
    BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bronco9798 View Post
    We'll just have to wait to see how improved our run defense is and if we can get any pressure on Russell. That's the key to every game this season. We have to stop the run and pressure the QB all season. That's been the Broncos weakness too long and nothing improves with this team until those two things get better.

    Going to be exciting to see how well we play Monday night. I'm pretty pumped for this game. (and the next 15).

    GO BRONCOS!!!!
    Yes, I would usually be really concerned about the run defense. But I really think that the Raiders offensive line sucks so much, it makes little difference. Now against the Chargers, that will be worrying.

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    The last few years tell us you have to be concerned with the run defense until it improves. It's been better during the pre-season but the real test starts Monday. If we get pushed around up front Monday night, it's going to be a long season. I don't see it happening. Just thinking worst case scenario. I'm sure we'll all be paying close attention Monday night.

    And, if we let Russell look like an all pro bowl QB, I'll puke. That can't happen. Broncos have a history of letting average to below average QB's take advantage of us.

    I see up improving in both areas. I'm just throwing out what I think the keys are this year to a great season. I'm excited!!

    GO BRONCOS!!!
    BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bronco9798 View Post
    The last few years tell us you have to be concerned with the run defense until it improves. It's been better during the pre-season but the real test starts Monday. If we get pushed around up front Monday night, it's going to be a long season. I don't see it happening. Just thinking worst case scenario. I'm sure we'll all be paying close attention Monday night.

    And, if we let Russell look like an all pro bowl QB, I'll puke. That can't happen. Broncos have a history of letting average to below average QB's take advantage of us.

    I see up improving in both areas. I'm just throwing out what I think the keys are this year to a great season. I'm excited!!

    GO BRONCOS!!!
    If we let the Raiders offense beat us, we will be in SERIOUS trouble.

    In my personal opinion though, I think the Raiders offense is so bad, all we need to do is play below average defense to win.

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    Kiffin will probably just pick up where he left off after beating us in Dec last year, running the ball down our throats. Rather Slo and the revamped D-line and LB core will be successful at stopping it this time or not, we'll see. I imagine it will be our #1 priority and our biggest concern going into this ball game, as it should be.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skinny View Post
    Kiffin will probably just pick up where he left off after beating us in Dec last year, running the ball down our throats. Rather Slo and the revamped D-line and LB core will be successful at stopping it this time or not, we'll see. I imagine it will be our #1 priority and our biggest concern going into this ball game, as it should be.
    Kwame Harris - Robert Gallery - John Wade - Cooper Carlisle - Cornell Green are not capable of putting up a decent attack.

    You are right, we will be successful in stopping them.

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    O-line might not look good but the Raiders do have a good stable of backs and Fargas ran all over us last year. If the Broncos struggle early against the run that could be killer, it would then allow Russell to exploit the play action and well even with a bad WR core if they get space down field they could make some plays. I agree with the passing game, with B-Marsh out I am looking forward to seeing both TE's on the field and if Scheff can have an impact. I said it since the pick up of DG, Scheff can be our Dallas Clark; flashed it but a whole season with out injury would be great for Tony.
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    Quote Originally Posted by BroncoAV06 View Post
    O-line might not look good but the Raiders do have a good stable of backs and Fargas ran all over us last year. If the Broncos struggle early against the run that could be killer, it would then allow Russell to exploit the play action and well even with a bad WR core if they get space down field they could make some plays. I agree with the passing game, with B-Marsh out I am looking forward to seeing both TE's on the field and if Scheff can have an impact. I said it since the pick up of DG, Scheff can be our Dallas Clark; flashed it but a whole season with out injury would be great for Tony.
    Fair enough point. I think our Defensive Line has improved from last season, but I think our linebackers are not as good as last season. However, their offensive line has most probably gotten worse from last season. Plus, they have a Quarterback who is not used to NFL Football and particularly NFL pressure. This is why I think our defense doesn't need to be superb to win.

    Now against San Diego, I think the game will be won and lost on the defensive side of the ball.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bronco9798 View Post
    We'll just have to wait to see how improved our run defense is and if we can get any pressure on Russell. That's the key to every game this season. We have to stop the run and pressure the QB all season. That's been the Broncos weakness too long and nothing improves with this team until those two things get better.

    Going to be exciting to see how well we play Monday night. I'm pretty pumped for this game. (and the next 15).

    GO BRONCOS!!!!
    As soon as this defensive line gels...
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    The Raiders offensive line isn't that bad. But Denver will make shutting down the run a priority forcing Russell to beat them. I think Denver has fixed the run defense for the most part. What concerns me is their lack of pass rush and their endless ability to make horribly mediocre QBs look like ProBowl talent.

    Denver wins it in a shootout.

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    I'm excited to see how our guys turn out in this one. If the raiders show up to play, maybe we can get a good feel for how our guys will hold up.

    I'm gonna take a stab at the record, I think we are 15 wins/20 losses at games in Oakland.
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    I think it will be close but because it is a late night game in OAK on PRIME time.. Offense always takes longer to get the timing down. therefore defenses are usually better early in the year..

    If it were IN DEN it would be a slam dunk.. Not so in OAK with a pretty good Running game.. Boss Is out Marshall is out and we have not seen Mcfadden run yet.. Russel so far does not scare me but we also have not developed a pass rush yet. without bringing he 3rd army.. Historically DEN has not played well in the first away game of the year and games in OAK are always tough.
    OAK in a close game..

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike View Post
    The Raiders offensive line isn't that bad. But Denver will make shutting down the run a priority forcing Russell to beat them. I think Denver has fixed the run defense for the most part. What concerns me is their lack of pass rush and their endless ability to make horribly mediocre QBs look like ProBowl talent.

    Denver wins it in a shootout.
    I agree that the Raiders' OL isn't that bad ... more to the point, they are poor at pass protection, but excellent with zone blocking for their rushing attack. That zone blocking line turns a tough-playing backup like Fargas into a very difficult to stop runner. It will make McFadden even more successful going to the outside, and he should be even more dangerous when he cuts back against where their OL and our DL was going. Michael Bush is their big guy who moves pretty fast for his size, and also has pass catching skills. Their 3 RBs bring different things to the table, and as a committee, they will be very tough to stop.

    If they have too much success running the football, expect JaMarcus to connect with a few long ones, only because our defense would be reeling from the rushing attack.

    Among the opponents we face this season, I respect the Raiders and Panthers running attacks the most.

    Hopefuly, we do more damage against their weak rushing defense, than they do to us with their strong rushing offense.

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    I'm worried about McFadden. He looked good in preseason and had a 5.4 avg. I know it's only preseason but he has speed and I could see him easily ripping off long scoring runs on us. If we can stop the run game we have a shot. Russel will make mistakes and we need to capitalize on those wherever possible.

    Cutler won't have Marshall so who knows how he gels with the other receivers. I see him going to Scheff a lot.

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