I spoke with for our preview of the Raiders' Week 12 game with the Broncos. Jon Heath, lead writer at Broncos Wire, to keep track.
1. I asked before the first meeting between these two teams, and you weren't quite ready to jump into it. Now that he has a few more games under his belt… are you a Bo supporter?
That's me, and I think it's as much about the fit as it is about Bo Nix himself. Sean Payton wouldn't waste his first-round draft pick on a QB he didn't think could run his offense at a high level . Nix will still have growing pains, but he's made great strides compared to the start of the season and Payton has noticed he's quickly adjusted to the pro level. It appears the Broncos have finally found their man at QB.
2. The Broncos defense is legit. What makes it tick?
They have great defensive backs who can compete in man coverage, productive edge rushers and an underrated interior defensive lineman in Zach Allen. On that front, it's worth noting that Allen is questionable this week with a heel injury, so he would be missed if the Broncos had to sit him out this week. Back to the secondary: Pat Surtain remains an elite outside cornerback, Riley Moss has been a big surprise this season and Ja'Quan McMillian has been outstanding this season. With these DBs playing well, Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto were productive from the start. Vance Joseph leans on the secondary and that allows other players to step up front.
3. What area could the Raiders attack on this defense and perhaps find a weakness to exploit?
Denver's defense can be vulnerable to the run, and that's even more true if Allen can't play on Sunday. In passing scenarios, the inside linebackers – Cody Barton and Justin Strnad – are weak links in coverage, but normally only one of them would be on the field on an obvious passing down. The Broncos' defense is designed to protect a lead while teams try to pass against them. If the Raiders can establish a ground game and stick with it, this could be their best plan of attack.
4. Give me a low-profile guy on both sides of the ball for the Broncos
Nate Adkins is the definition of an underrated offensive player as many Denver fans probably don't even know him. He's something of a tight end/fullback hybrid, and his blocking isn't particularly valued. He is a versatile player who can also play as a receiver.
On defense, Allen is underrated nationally, but certainly not in Broncos Country. Moss and McMillian are probably underrated too, but you also asked for a defender. I'm going to go with Allen because he deserves more recognition outside of Denver.
5. I'm not going to ask if you think the Broncos will win this game, because I mean, well, but how do you see the Broncos finishing the stretch run? Do you think they can get past the Chargers in the AFC West?
This is a great question about the chargers. I don't know if they'll catch up with them – my prediction is that they'll lose in LA – but I expect Denver to finish up 4-2, which would be 10-7. That would probably be enough for a Wild Card spot, unless a team like the Bengals or Dolphins were undefeated.