CAN DENVER'S OFFENSE END A STREAK OF SLOW STARTS?
It's been quite a while since the Broncos put the pressure on their opponents early. Denver last scored a touchdown on its opening drive in Week 14 of the 2019 season, and the 24-game stretch without an opening drive touchdown is the longest in the league. Against Pittsburgh, those problems extended for a while longer. Denver did not pick up a first down until Javonte Williams ran for 49 yards midway through the second quarter.
As Denver tries to flip the script and give its defense a lead to defend, the Broncos must be better on third down and in the red zone. On third down, the Broncos have converted just 28.6 percent of their attempts, which ranks last in the league. And while Denver's struggles on early downs have exacerbated that problem, the Broncos still must be able to find success when they do face a difficult third-down attempt. It's possible adding veteran John Brown to the offense could help the team, as his speed could open up the offense. Denver elevated Brown to the active roster for Sunday's game, and he could be active for the contest.
"We've had too many third-and-longs, but you have to be able to convert some of those," Fangio said Wednesday. "Lately, we haven't been able to do that. We did it the first few weeks. I think we were 50 percent on third-and-seven-plus during the first few weeks, but [the] last two weeks, not so. I don't know if we've gotten any or gotten one. We have to get more manageable third downs, and no matter what third down we're in, we have to go convert."
The Broncos need to also execute better once they are inside the 20-yard line. Denver couldn't quite punch the ball in during an end-of-game scenario against the Steelers, but the team's performance the rest of the year has also left something to be desired. The Broncos have scored touchdowns on just 42.1 percent of their trips, which ranks 29th in the league.
The good news for Denver? The Raiders' red-zone defense ranks 31st in the league, as they've allowed touchdowns on 90.9 percent of their opponents' drives. Something will have to give, and the Broncos surely hope they can convert more opportunities on Sunday.
HOW DO THEY HANDLE THE EMOTION OF THE GAME?
The Raiders have faced an unprecedented week, as Gruden resigned Monday after a series of racist, misogynistic and homophobic emails were uncovered.
"I just think there's no place in the world, let alone our league, for the opinions that were expressed and especially the words used to express those opinions," Fangio said Wednesday. "Myself and the organization are definitely against that and that situation."
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, though, believes that opposing signal-caller Derek Carr will help to move his team forward.
"Just knowing Derek personally — I know he's a guy who's going to rally those guys together," Bridgewater said Wednesday. "He's a great leader. He's a great man, and a lot of people respect him. I know I respect him, and I know he's a guy who's capable of pulling his troops together and just keeping them focused. We've just got to go out there and play the game we know how to play and the way we know how to play it. [We have to] make it about us."
Still, the Broncos have spoken this week about how they must be ready for an emotional Raiders team to begin the game with a lot of intensity.
"The message has been that they're going to really come out," Malik Reed said. "They thought a lot of their head coach, and it's been a lot of things going on there, but they're going to come out ready and with their hair on fire. They're ready to play this game just because it's a division game and on top of that, all the things that's been going on in their organization. It's really on us to be ready and prepared to match their intensity that they're coming into this game with. We're prepared to do that."
If Denver can weather the storm early, they could have an advantage against a team that will be without its head coach and primary play-caller. But if the Raiders play with more intensity early, it could put Denver in a hole that is hard to overcome.
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