On paper, this matchup doesn’t look promising for the Oakland Raiders.
Peyton Manning has looked unstoppable in the first two games of 2013. He sports a quarterback rating of 131 to go along with nine touchdowns in two games, both league-highs. He is one of four starting quarterbacks yet to throw an interception, while the Raiders have yet to force a turnover at all this season. He’ll be playing in the friendly confines of Mile High Stadium, a place known for the home-field advantage it provides the Broncos, who enter Monday with a record of 2-0. And Oakland will be without one of their defensive pillars in safety Tyvon Branch, who is out with a right ankle injury.
Add this up, and it isn’t hard to figure out why 1-1 Oakland enters Monday night as 16.5-point underdogs, according to OddsShark.com.
For the sake of argument, though, let’s say the Raiders have a shot. They’re coming off a 19-9 win against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend, and the quarterback-running back tandem of Terrelle Pryor and Darren McFadden could prove deadly should Pryor come into his own as a thrower.
The Broncos will be without Manning’s star blindside protector in left tackle Ryan Clady following the Lisfranc tear he suffered in his left foot during last Sunday’s victory over Eli Manning and the New York Giants, which is good news for a Raiders’ defense that is currently tied for the league lead in sacks with nine.
Denver is also suffering from injuries on the defensive side of the ball. They’ll be without their leading sack-getter in linebacker Shaun Phillips who is out with back spasms, while veteran cornerback Champ Bailey will be playing in just his first game of 2013 following the left foot injury he suffered last month.
Although these injuries, combined with the fact that it is a divisional game, should help keep the score a little tighter, don’t expect Oakland to pull the upset Monday night.
Manning’s patented no-huddle attack has the Broncos averaging 463 yards and 45 points per game, and with weapons like Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas in the passing game and the capable Knowshon Moreno in the backfield, Denver still has arguably the best offense in the NFL despite Clady’s absence.
Although these two teams have split their last eight meetings, Manning led the Broncos to two wins over the Raiders by a combined score of 63-19 in his first season with Denver last year by completing over 75 percent of his passes in the two contests.
As mentioned before, Pryor and McFadden have both served up decent performances on the young season. Pryor has rushed for 162 yards to go along with the 343 he’s put up through the air despite only accounting for one touchdown so far. McFadden leads the team in rushing with 177 yards and a touchdown, and should see a boat-load of carries Monday night despite the fact that Denver is giving up a league-low 81 yards per game on the ground.
The key for Oakland will be clock management. If Pryor can control the pace and limit Manning’s time on the field, it will go a long way towards making this game competitive. The Broncos busting out to an early lead could force Pryor into throwing the ball more often, however, which would spell trouble for the run-oriented Raiders. The one thing they do not want is to play catch-up against Manning, especially at home.
In all likelihood, Denver will go into their Week 4 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles a perfect 3-0. But if Oakland limits their turnovers and controls the clock, Denver could have a hard time covering that 16.5-point spread.