Raiders Week!
- Arjun Peroor
- Sep 7, 2023
- 2 min read
The Broncos play a meaningful football game in 3 days!!! The season opener will be against our deeply hated rivals the Las Vegas Raiders. A team that has beaten the Broncos 6 straight games. The last time the Broncos beat the Raiders Drew Lock was rapping on the sidelines, Covid didn't have the world on lock yet, and Jon Gruden was not viewed as a racist human being. Oh, how times have changed. But seriously though, the Broncos need to beat the Raiders and end this losing streak because they have another streak to worry about. That other loss will come into relevance in exactly 5 weeks from now. Let's talk about this upcoming game on Sunday:
The Raiders will be looking different from the QB position as Jimmy G will be under center instead of Derek Carr. I believe the Raiders will be leaning on the ground game a lot more than in previous years because Garapollo thrives best when the run game works well and the Raiders should have no reason not to emphasize the ground attack. Josh Jacobs, who recently signed back with the Raiders, has historically given the Broncos fits since he entered the league. In 7 games vs. the Broncos, Jacobs has logged 721 yards on 154 carries and has scored 9 touchdowns. He has been nothing but a thorn on the Broncos side and it is paramount that the Broncos can keep him in check and make Garapollo try to beat them.
Another thing to watch out for in this game is the PS2 vs. Davante matchup. In their last encounter, Adams got the best of him recording 7 catches for 141 yards and 2 TDs. After that game, he iterated that Surtain wasn't ready to lock down a receiver of his caliber yet. I am intrigued to see how Surtain responds. It will be a fun matchup to watch for sure.
And finally, it's time for us Broncos fans to truly see what Russ is made of. Is a redemption year coming? Or was last year an indication that he has stepped off a cliff? One game will not necessarily tell the whole story but it will give the fans a good preview of what is to be expected from him in the 2023-2024 season. With Sean Payton calling the shots this time around, I am hopeful that Russ will have a bounce-back year and start the season on the right track with a very good performance.
Other things I am looking closely at:
Javonte Williams in his first game back since facing the Raiders last year in week 4
Who in the Broncos receiving core other than Sutton will step up?
How often will Sean Payton have Russ on the move
How different will the Raiders' offense look schematically with a new QB
Broncos Pass Rush
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