The last season for the Raiders in Oakland \u2013 at least for the foreseeable future \u2013 begins on Monday night as they\u2019ll move to Las Vegas next year. The start to the campaign has not gone as planned as the Raiders had a complete mess on their hands with Antonio Brown. That finally came to an end on Saturday when they released and as a result, moved from being a favorite to a dog in this game. Can they team rally around this release or will this be something that frays them apart?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because this Oakland team has bigger problems than just Brown. They have a mediocre offensive line, which does not figure to do well against Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, two strong pass rushers who blend experience (Miller) and youthful power (Chubb). And we don\u2019t know if Derek Carr has progressed at all because last season, he was a very average quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Denver is now coached by Vic Fangio, who has long been one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. The Broncos will have one of the NFL\u2019s best defenses, with a strong secondary backing up their pass rush. Fangio and his staff should have the right scheme to expose the Raiders\u2019 scheme and outfox Jon Gruden. As long as the Broncos don\u2019t commit key turnovers and are able to leverage field position in this game, they should be fine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their offense is improved beyond Brown. Yes, he\u2019s gone but the team also added Trent Brown, a top-flight left tackle, Tyrell Williams, a decent wide receiver, and Josh Jacobs, a supposed star at running back. Brown was a big piece but this should still be a vastly improved offense from a season ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the Broncos, while their defense might be decent, who knows what to expect from their offense. The Broncos did not get the quarterback they wanted in free agency and settled on Flacco, who has been bad the last couple of seasons. He was overtaken for the starting job in Baltimore by Lamar Jackson and might do well if everything around him is perfect. We\u2019re not sure that\u2019s the case as there are questions along the offensive line and at wide receiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Denver\u2019s hope is that the defense can be so good that Flacco \u2013 much like Peyton Manning in his final season with the team \u2013 can manage the game, hit a handful of key throws per game, and not have to do too much else. That sounds good in theory, but Flacco is not Peyton (even the diminished version of Peyton that last season), and moreover, the Broncos\u2019 offensive line isn\u2019t nearly as strong as it was under Peyton. Denver has an anemic offense which is likely to waste the talent on the Broncos\u2019 defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Raiders are at home and should be able to get points on a Broncos defense that faded down the stretch last season. They\u2019re not the unit that they were when they won the Super Bowl. As for the Broncos, they\u2019ll be able to run the ball against a Raiders defense that has plenty of flaws. Expect points in this one \u2013 even if Brown isn\u2019t involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n