NFL Predictions Week 1: Raiders Will Use Ground Game to Buck Broncos

On Monday night, the Denver Broncos will kick off their 2011 season at home against the Oakland Raiders.

A couple of years ago, the Broncos playing the Raiders at Mile High Stadium would have been akin to an automatic win. It's just not a place the Raiders played well, primarily because they were just plain bad.

But the last time the Raiders came calling, things went a little differently. The Raiders scored a franchise-record 59 points and embarrassed the Broncos, 59-14.

If you're an optimist and/or a Broncos fan, you're going to insist that game was an aberration. It was bad, but it's not going to happen again.

I agree. But on Monday night, the Broncos are still going down.

The Raiders are not going to score 59 points again. Let's get that much cleared up. They are, however, probably going to use the same game plan that allowed them to rack up that many points.

That game plan was a simple one: Run the ball right at 'em.

Indeed, the Raiders barely let Jason Campbell throw any passes the last time they went to Denver. Instead, they ran the ball a ridiculous 52 times for a ludicrous 328 yards. Darren McFadden alone had 165 yards, not to mention a grand total of four touchdowns.

True enough, the Broncos are going to be ready for it this time around. New head coach John Fox is a defensive whiz and he's cultivated some changes in Denver's D that should help them avoid being the worst unit in the league once again. Fox should also know as well as anyone that Hue Jackson is going to keep running the ball until the Broncos prove they can stop the Raiders from doing so.

But being ready for something is one thing. Actually being able to stop it is something else. And that's where I have my doubts about the Broncos.

First and foremost, Denver's defensive line is a problem. I'm okay with the guys on the ends, but the guys in the middle are not exactly formidable.

In fact, the Broncos are quite weak at defensive tackle, and that doesn't bode well for them going up against power runners like McFadden and Michael Bush. The two of them make their living running between the tackles and they are likely going to make a very good living doing just that on Monday night.

So despite the fact we're not talking about a blowout, we are talking about a crippling mismatch for the Broncos. If they can't stop the run, the Raiders will control the clock, and that's going to allow them to keep Kyle Orton and the Broncos offense safely on the sideline.

If that's how things pan out, this game should go to the Raiders.

Prediction: Raiders 24, Broncos 17