Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos: Complete Week 17 Preview for Denver
The Denver Broncos (11-4) will conclude the regular season against the Oakland Raiders (3-12) in Week 17. The game will take place at Sports Authority Field in Denver.
Coming off a tough loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Broncos are looking to get back on the winning track as they head into the postseason. With a win over the Raiders, the Broncos will clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Denver won the first meeting between these teams in Week 10, going on the road to beat the Raiders by a score of 41-17.
In that game, Peyton Manning threw for 340 yards and five touchdowns. Following that game, the Broncos were beaten up by the St. Louis Rams and decided to employ an offense that had a new focus on the running game going forward.
"#Broncos earn No. 2 playoffs seed with … - Win v. Raiders OR - Bengals loss @ Steelers OR - Bengals tie + Colts win pic.twitter.com/9eNTYGQ8tk
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 23, 2014"
Perhaps the Raiders are the team that will help the Broncos' passing game get back on track.
For much more on this game, including an injury report for the Broncos as well as key matchups to look for, read on.
Week 16 Recap
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On the road and in the middle of a pouring rain, the Broncos lost on Monday Night Football to the Cincinnati Bengals, 37-28.
Denver couldn't protect Peyton Manning, who threw four interceptions on the night. The Broncos also had a tough time stopping the Cincinnati running game, allowing 207 yards on the ground.
With the loss, the Broncos gave up any chance to have home-field advantage in the playoffs, as that distinction will now go to the New England Patriots.
The Broncos did well to bounce back from a 20-7 halftime deficit, eventually taking the lead at 28-27 before losing. But the four turnovers were their undoing.
It was Denver's first loss to the Bengals since October 2004 and Peyton Manning's first loss of his career against them.
News and Notes
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X-Rays Negative for T.J. Ward
Though more tests will still be necessary, X-rays taken of safety T.J. Wards neck initially came back negative, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
This is good news for the Broncos, as it appears Ward's injury isn't as bad as they may have first suspected. Ward is an integral member of the defense, particularly because of all the injuries Denver has had at the linebacker position.
Ward may need to pick up the slack if Brandon Marshall is unable to get back to the field before the Broncos' first playoff game.
Denver Leads League With Nine Pro Bowl Selections
The NFL Pro Bowl rosters were announced on Tuesday night, and as noted by ESPN, the Broncos lead the NFL with nine selections.
Among the Broncos selected to play in the annual All-Star game were Peyton Manning, Ryan Clady, Von Miller, Aqib Talib, Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward and Chris Harris.
It's especially nice to see Harris get the recognition, as he has truly transformed into one of the league's best defensive backs.
On the season, Harris has made 52 tackles with one sack. He also has three interceptions to go along with 16 passes defensed.
But those numbers aren't very different from the numbers he's posted in each of the previous three seasons he's been in the league. Voters have finally realized how good he is.
An argument could be made that wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and defensive tackle Terrance Knighton deserved spots in the Pro Bowl as well. The Broncos could have had even more than the nine selections they received.
No other team had more than six players voted to the roster.
Injury Report
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| Peyton Manning | Quarterback | Thigh | Probable |
| Demaryius Thomas | Wide Receiver | Ankle | Probable |
| T.J. Ward | Safety | Neck | Questionable |
| Emmanuel Sanders | Wide Receiver | Illness | Probable |
| C.J. Anderson | Running Back | Ankle | Probable |
| Julius Thomas | Tight End | Ankle | Probable |
T.J. Ward left the Monday night game against the Bengals after having his neck bent back awkwardly when making a tackle. He has been listed as day-to-day with a neck strain.
That is good news for the Broncos, as they cannot afford any additional injuries to their defense. They could probably get away without having Ward in the lineup against Oakland, but they'll need him in the playoffs.
Outside of Ward, the Broncos should expect all of the other players on this list to suit up and play.
However, Julius Thomas is still clearly hobbled by his ankle injury. In the last three games he's played, Thomas has caught just five passes for 66 yards. He hasn't caught a touchdown pass since Week 10 against Oakland.
Injury statuses courtesy of ESPN.com.
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X-Factor and Key Matchups to Watch
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Emmanuel Sanders vs. Chimdi Chekwa
With the Raiders having to place cornerbacks Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers on injured reserve this season, they'll be down to Chimdi Chekwa as a starter in the game against Denver.
That could be an issue, especially since he'll likely draw the assignment of Emmanuel Sanders, who has put together an excellent season.
Sanders just needs to catch five passes to reach 100 for the season. Look for him to do that, with one or two of them being deep shots down the field.
Denver's Kickoff Coverage vs. Oakland's Kick Returners
It seemed like the Cincinnati Bengals got a huge return on every kickoff in the game on Monday night. This is an area the Broncos really need to clean up heading into the playoffs, and that will start by shutting down the Raiders.
The Raiders usually put Travis Carrie or Denarius Moore back to field kickoffs, so the Broncos will be charged with shutting them down and limiting big plays.
Denver allowed Adam Jones to average 44.7 yards per kickoff return on Monday night, including one that went for 80 yards.
Of course, it will be a lot easier to shut down the Oakland kick returners if Brandon McManus just bangs every kickoff out of the end zone.
Todd Davis vs. Mychal Rivera
For argument's sake, we'll say that Brandon Marshall and T.J. Ward will both miss this game. If that is the case, the Broncos will need someone to step up and slow down the tight end, something the Broncos generally struggle with.
Linebacker Todd Davis has emerged for the Denver defense after being claimed off waivers from New Orleans.
Without Ward and Marshall, he might be the guy who ends up with this responsibility.
Mychal Rivera has caught 56 passes this season and has caught at least seven passes in four games. In the first meeting with the Broncos, he had a touchdown catch.
Rivera provides a great safety blanket for rookie quarterback Derek Carr, who will likely look his way often in this game. Davis, or whoever is matched up against him, needs to be ready to limit his yardage after the catch.
X-Factor: Terrance Knighton
The Broncos allowed more than 200 yards on the ground against Cincinnati, despite Denver coming into the game as the No. 2 team in the league against the run.
That can't happen again, and the Broncos know that. Terrance Knighton, fresh off being snubbed for the Pro Bowl, will help see that it doesn't.
The Raiders will likely feed the ball to running back Latavius Murray in order to take the pressure off Carr. But he'll get swallowed up by the middle of the defense, which will force the Raiders into several 3rd-and-long situations.
The Broncos will get the Raiders off the field with plenty of three-and-outs as a result, and this will be one of the key factors in the game.
Prediction
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Some may see the Raiders as a team that could give a struggling Broncos team some problems. After all, they have won two of their last three games. They have also defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills in recent weeks.
The Broncos won't join that list.
With a first-round playoff bye to play for, the Broncos aren't going to overlook the Raiders. On top of that, the Broncos have won the last six games in this series.
Make it seven.
Prediction: Broncos 31, Raiders 13
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