Broncos vs. Raiders: Five keys

By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 20, 2008 at 9:39 p.m.

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1 One more time. The Broncos have been better against the run the past three games -- opponents are averaging 3.8 yards a carry during that span -- and they need to keep it up in this one. The only thing the Raiders offense can do with any consistency is run the ball.

2 Be ready. The Broncos surprised the Falcons with Spencer Larsen at middle linebacker, they surprised the Falcons by rushing from a six-defensive-back package on third down. The Raiders will have had some time to look at it, and the Broncos will have to be prepared to see an adjustment or two.

3 Mix and match. Eventually, if the Broncos earn a playoff spot, they will have to run the ball to have a shot in a game that means something against a defense ready to play. They showed Sunday they can move Peyton Hillis, Tatum Bell and P.J. Pope in and out of the lineup and make some things happen.

4 Be special. The Raiders have two impact returners in Johnnie Lee Higgins and Justin Miller. They both have the ability to create game-changing plays in the blink of a missed tackle. The Broncos have to keep them contained.

5 Confidence game. The Raiders are reeling, they have injuries and they haven't won since mid-October. The Broncos could use a fast start in this one to keep their crowd interested and keep the Raiders from regaining their balance.

• November 21, 2008

  12:59 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  kansasbronco writes:

  Did anyone else think Tatum Bell showed some great flashes last week? I hate the way he carries the ball like a loaf of bread, but at the end of the game after he made the final first down on a nice read/downhill run he hit the turf and let us run out the clock. I have Jones-Drew, Chris Johnson, and Warrick Dunn in my Fantasy league yet I've been tempted to grab Bell and start him over Dunn or Johnson this week. 50-50 he goes over 120 yards and at least 1 score this week.

• November 22, 2008

  9:25 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Rutabaga writes:

  I have another key to this game. You can call this one #6 if you want to. It's free. Here it is.... #6. The Broncos need to score more points than the Raiders.

  P.S. I thought Tatum Bell looked kinda flashy too. He runs faster than my dog Ralph, a lot faster. Maybe he won't pull, break or bust anything like all the other guys who tried to be the Broncos RB this year? Maybe he'll surprise everyone and run for like 120 yards against the duhs (that's secret code for Raiders in case you didn't know)? I hope he doesn't get injured cause there won't be hardly anyone left to call. And Spencer Larsen will be too tired to do it cause he plays everything else.

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