Game Overview ::
By mike johnson >>
- The “Disappointment Bowl” features a Raiders team that keeps losing close games and a Broncos team that is a mess on one side of the ball.
- These teams squared off in Week 4, with the Raiders winning a 32-23 game that was played in Las Vegas.
- Both offenses have lost multiple key offensive pieces since that first meeting.
- Denver has scored 20+ points only once this season, while the Raiders have given up at least 20 points in every game.
How las vegas Will Try To Win ::
Perhaps this section would be more appropriately titled “how Las Vegas will find a way to lose.” The Raiders have actually played pretty solid football this season but have just been completely unable to close out games when they needed to. While the Raiders are currently 31st in the NFL in winning percentage, they are 22nd in point differential and have had the ball with a chance to tie or win the game in the four quarter or overtime in six of their seven losses. That is not to make excuses for the Raiders but rather to point out that while they currently have the second worst record in the NFL, they are definitely not the second worst team in the league.
Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams continue to be the dominant focus of the offense, which is down two of their top skill players with Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller on IR. Over the last two weeks, Adams and Jacobs have combined for an absurd 68% of the offense’s usage (targets plus carries). We should expect much of the same this week, as the Raiders will likely run the ball with Jacobs early and often against a Broncos defense that is top-three in most pass defense metrics while struggling at times against the run. Jacobs and tight end Foster Moreau will also likely see a decent amount of targets underneath. When throwing the ball, we should expect Davante Adams to be the focal point as he has a 42% target share over the last two weeks. Broncos All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain will likely shadow Adams on his perimeter routes once again, as he did in the first meeting of these teams, although with Waller and Renfrow out, we should expect a healthy amount of slot work for Adams as well. While Surtain is very good, the Raiders simply don’t have enough other weapons to let him be a deterrent from throwing the ball to Adams.
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