A couple of years ago, the Broncos playing the Raiders at Mile High Stadium would have been akin to an automatic win. It's just not a place the Raiders played well, primarily because they were just plain bad.
But the last time the Raiders came calling, things went a little differently. The Raiders scored a franchise-record 59 points and embarrassed the Broncos, 59-14.
If you're an optimist and/or a Broncos fan, you're going to insist that game was an aberration. It was bad, but it's not going to happen again.
I agree. But on Monday night, the Broncos are still going down.
The Raiders are not going to score 59 points again. Let's get that much cleared up. They are, however, probably going to use the same game plan that allowed them to rack up that many points.
That game plan was a simple one: Run the ball right at 'em.
Indeed, the Raiders barely let Jason Campbell throw any passes the last time they went to Denver. Instead, they ran the ball a ridiculous 52 times for a ludicrous 328 yards. Darren McFadden alone had 165 yards, not to mention a grand total of four touchdowns.
True enough, the Broncos are going to be ready for it this time around. New head coach John Fox is a defensive whiz and he's cultivated some changes in Denver's D that should help them avoid being the worst unit in the league once again. Fox should also know as well as anyone that Hue Jackson is going to keep running the ball until the Broncos prove they can stop the Raiders from doing so.
But being ready for something is one thing. Actually being able to stop it is something else. And that's where I have my doubts about the Broncos.
First and foremost, Denver's defensive line is a problem. I'm okay with the guys on the ends, but the guys in the middle are not exactly formid...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
