Position breakdown for Broncos-Raiders Monday game
The Raiders open their final season in Oakland with a home game against the AFC West-rival Denver Broncos at 7:15 p.m. Monday. Here’s a breakdown by position.
Quarterbacks
Joe Flacco takes over as the Broncos’ quarterback after losing his job in Baltimore last season. He has had a ton of success and been the subject of plenty of debate about whether he is elite, but he certainly enters this final chapter of his career with plenty to prove. Derek Carr is hoping to show the organization he is the franchise quarterback who can lead the team through rebuilding and eventually back to the playoffs. Carr having a year in Jon Gruden’s system may be the tiebreaker.
Advantage: Raiders
Running backs
Josh Jacobs hopes to prove the Raiders right for using a first-round pick on him in the draft. They hope he can be an every-down back who can carry a full workload, though he’ll have help from veterans Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington. The biggest questions for Jacobs will be how much of a workload he can handle and how effective he can be in pass protection. The Broncos possess a dynamic one-two punch with the speed of Phillip Lindsay and power of Royce Freeman.
Advantage: Broncos
Wide receivers
The Raiders’ group looks quite a bit different than it did as recently as Saturday morning. Antonio Brown gave them a dynamic playmaker few teams in the league could match. Tyrell Williams becomes the primary target, but J.J. Nelson, who is questionable with an ankle injury, will run the routes that would have been called for Brown. Tight end Darren Waller might be the biggest beneficiary of increased targets. But without Brown this unit won’t scare many defenses. For the Broncos, Emmanuel Sanders says he’s healthy coming off an Achilles tear in December, which seems like an amazingly fast recovery. Courtland Sutton is a potential breakout star, and DaeSean Hamilton should take a step forward. The Broncos are also high on first-round pick Noah Fant, a tight end out of Iowa.
Advantage: Broncos
Offensive line
At full strength, the Raiders are better in this area. With Richie Incognito suspended and Gabe Jackson hurt, that’s probably not the case. The Broncos also have some new pieces that will have to gel quickly.
Advantage: Broncos
Defensive line
There is a lot of reason for optimism and plenty of room for improvement for a unit that was dismal for the Raiders last season. Clelin Ferrell’s presence frees up Arden Key to be more of a pass-rushing specialist, and there are big bodies who can make plays in the middle. However, they still have to show it on the field. Denver’s linebackers get all the publicity, but defensive tackle Shelby Harris is a quiet key to the defense’s success.
Advantage: Broncos
Linebackers
The Raiders’ coaching staff was clear on cutdown day that they are on board with the de-emphasis on the linebacker in today’s game. The Broncos have Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.
Advantage: Broncos
Secondary
Johnathan Abram was added to the Raiders’ growing collection of former first-round picks in the defensive backfield and Gareon Conley took a huge step forward last season. Nickel back Lamarcus Joyner, who is a proven leader, adds veteran presence. They have potential to sneak into the top half of the league as a secondary. The Broncos are already there and may be a fringe top 10 unit.
Advantage: Broncos
Special teams
Daniel Carlson had the most accurate kicking season in Raiders history last year and undrafted rookie punter A.J. Cole crushes the ball. The Raiders put a strong emphasis on being sound on special teams. Coordinator Rich Bisaccia also serves as assistant head coach and has influence on roster decisions. Denver actually struggled in this area last season.
Advantage: Raiders
Intangibles
Anybody been on Twitter lately?
Advantage: Broncos
More Raiders: Follow at vegasnation.com and @
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
