The day wraps up with the Oakland Raiders hosting the Denver Broncos on NBC.
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Let’s break down the teams and pick a victor. The Broncos are doing what led them to a Super Bowl a year ago: dominating teams with their defense. That win snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Raiders to the Broncos.
As usual, defense is leading the charge for the Broncos.
He should have a chance to regain some rhythm though against a pass defense now ranked 22nd in the National Football League and key to that could be tight end Zach Ertz, who has been pretty subdued so far. The Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib has been ruled out due to a back injury.
The reasons these two are tied at the top of the division with 6-2 records contrasts.
If you’re a Chiefs fan, you’re going to want to watch that SNF game, especially if Kansas City wins its game against the Jags. That keeps putting pressure on Carr to come out ahead in a shootout, as evidenced in last week’s overtime victory over Tampa Bay. The Broncos will be chomping at the bit to shut down Carr and the Raiders’ explosive offense.
Offensively, the Raiders are averaging 26.9 points and 401.6 total yards (285.1 in passing and 116.5 in rushing) per game. Osweiler is no longer in Denver and the Broncos have two new tackles in Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson.
Raiders coach Jack Del Rio will not crimp his players from playing with emotion. The Broncos are 6-2 because that’s what they do: This is the fourth consecutive season they’ve been 6-2 or 7-1. Maybe being a wild card team is a blessing in disguise.
On Sunday, Cooper will be crucial to Oakland’s game plan.
The Raiders have one of the most explosive and dynamic offenses in the league.
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Tonight’s Sunday night football prime-time matchup will see the Broncos head to Oakland to face the Raiders at home.
