The Las Vegas Raiders aren’t making the playoffs at 2-6. However, that doesn’t mean they should just punt on the season. The Silver and Black need to develop their young players for the future and can easily play spoiler, starting on November 6 against the Denver Broncos.
Nonetheless, getting a win over their AFC West rival won’t be easy. Moreover, the Raiders’ offense could be on its heels all night with the Broncos’ pass rush being relentless. Denver leads the NFL with 40 team sacks, and veteran quarterback Geno Smith will be under constant pressure.
In the latest edition of “Upon Further Review,” which was published on November 4, former Raiders wide receiver James Jones spoke about what Las Vegas should expect against this Broncos’ pass rush.
“When you have a pass rush that can get after the quarterback, that’s letting the defensive backs know that, hey man, the quarterback got two seconds to throw this ball, which means we don’t got to bail on stuff,” Jones said. “We can sit on routes. We can gamble because we know we have the pass rush that can get after the quarterback.
“And that’s very, very dangerous because when you’re game planning for a pass rush like this, you can’t have too many seven-step, five-step dropbacks. The ball has to come out of the quarterback’s hands fast. You got to establish a run game.”
How Can the Raiders Overcome the Broncos’ Pass Rush
While it’s easier said than done, there are ways to overcome the Broncos’ pass rush, which is why the team has two losses on its record. Moreover, Denver has had tightly contested wins over the Houston Texans, New York Jets, and New York Giants, so there are ways to make life challenging for them.
“It’s going to be key that the Raiders stay ahead of the sticks,” Jones added. “And what I mean by that is we got to stay in third-and-three, third-and-four. We cannot be in third-and-10 and third-and-nine and let this pass rush pin their ears back and get after Geno Smith, because whatever we think about our offensive line, this defensive line has done it to every offensive line that they’ve played this year.
“They are a really good front seven. So, we are going to have to make sure that we have a plan to not only protect but to get this ball out of Geno Smith’s hands fast.”
Could Brock Bowers Play a Major Factor Against the Broncos?
If Smith needs to get rid of the ball quickly, he will be looking at Brock Bowers as he was getting his share of targets after returning from injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9.
The Georgia product recorded 12 receptions for 127 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Although Bowers’ individual performance was fantastic, he didn’t hold back on how it felt to return to the field in a Raiders loss.
“It’s not a great feeling,” Bowers said postgame (h/t Vegas Sports Today). “You want to come back in here and celebrate with the guys. It sucks. You can’t celebrate anything… I think we’re definitely still working on finding that identity, especially now that we’re getting everyone back to full strength. So I’m just excited to see what the rest of the year holds.”
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