National Football League

X-Factors: Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:23 p.m. ET

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X-Factors for both the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos in their primetime Week 9 matchup.

With both teams standing at 6-2, first place in the AFC West is on the line. For the Oakland Raiders, much more is at stake. With this being their first Sunday night game since 2006, and after more than a decade of futility, the Raiders are out to prove to the nation that these aren’t the “same old Raiders”.

It’s going to be a tough test — not only for Oakland, but for both teams — so unsung heroes stepping up will be as important as ever.

Also, at the halfway mark of the season, the injury report typically gets longer as the season goes on. And for players not officially injured, just about everyone is banged up in one way or another.

With that being said, let’s take a look at some x-factors for the Week 9 contest between the Raiders and the Broncos.

October 11, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) runs with the football against Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Latavius Murray

Much can be said about the Broncos defense, which ranks third in total yards allowed per game, first in passing yards allowed per game, and is tied for the league lead in both sacks and takeaways.

Wade Phillips is one of the best defensive coordinators in the business, and this defense has talent at every level. It’s going to be a challenge for Oakland’s dynamic offense to put points on the board.

But the one area where the Broncos struggle defensively is against the run. On the season, Denver allows 117.4 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 23rd in the league. As JBB Staff Writer Maliik Obee explained in a column, establishing the run game is the key to Oakland’s success on Sunday.

And I completely agree, which is what makes Latavius Murray an x-factor on Sunday.

In Oakland’s 15-12 victory over the Denver in December, Latavius ran the ball 16 times for 27 yards. The rest of the Raiders ball carriers that day combined for 7 carries and 0 yards. Murray will have to fare much better than that for Oakland to win the upcoming matchup.

And there is plenty of reason to believe he can. Oakland’s offensive line has improved, largely thanks to the addition of Kelechi Osemele in the offseason. And Latavius is no longer asked to carry the full workload, which has helped keep him fresh.

Furthermore, Denver’s run defense has taken a step back, with the departure of Malik Jackson being a factor in that.

The Broncos are ranked18th in yards allowed per carry at 4.3, and they have allowed six rushes of 20 or more yards, which ranks 25th in the league.

So the stars are aligned here for Murray to step up and produce his best output of the season.

Oct 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos offensive tackle Russell Okung (73) during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Okung

Last December’s Raiders win over the Broncos is best known for the game that Khalil Mack had five sacks, which still seems crazy. But it really happened.

Mack abused any and every offensive lineman placed in front of him in that game, and lately, it’s been more of the same for Khalil. He’s been an absolute monster in recent weeks.

Which brings us to Russell Okung — aka the next offensive lineman that Mack makes look silly. At least, that’s the plan.

Trevor Siemian has been decent in his first year as a starter, and like virtually any quarterback, he he can get rattled with pressure. With as stout as Denver’s defense is, a key to the Raiders winning this game is going to be winning the turnover battle. The offense will need as many chances as they can to score, and that’s where Mack (and Okung) factor in.

If Mack can get the best of Okung for much of the game, there is a strong chance that he can force a turnover of some kind — either via a fumble/strip-sack, or by forcing a bad throw that leads to an interception.

On the other hand, if Okung can somehow keep Mack contained, it’s hard to see any other Raiders pass rusher making much of an impact.

Even with Denver’s offensive line not having many, if any, strong pieces, Oakland’s pass rush has been quiet for most of the season. Which is why it comes down to Mack vs. Okung.

Dec 13, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (10) runs with the ball against Oakland Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden (25) during the first half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

D.J. Hayden

Halfway through the 2016 season, I’m sure there isn’t a Raiders fan out there that thought the Raiders would be 6-2 and in an important divisional matchup, D.J. Hayden would be a key factor in whether the Raiders win or lose.

But here we are.

With Sean Smith being questionable to play, that thrusts Hayden back into the spotlight. If Smith can’t go, it’ll either be Hayden or T.J. Carrie left to cover Emmanuel Sanders. And just based on how little playing time Carrie has seen this season, the safe bet is that Hayden will be tasked with that responsibility.

Hayden has been refreshingly decent in 2016. He seems to have found a home at the slot corner position, where he’s done well more often than that. Hayden still has his lapses, but they are far and few between, especially compared to year’s past. And he still will occasionally forget to turn his head around to locate the ball, but he has improved here as well.

In the upcoming game against Denver, the Broncos will be forced to rely on both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Amerson will surely do a great job covering Thomas, and regardless, the Broncos would likely look to pick on Hayden as much as possible.

If D.J. can take away Sanders as an option in this game, or at least limit his production, then Oakland’s defense will likely have another showing similar to the last two weeks. Which is a big improvement from where they were the first few weeks of the season.

If D.J. goes back to being the same old D.J., then the defense might not be able to do enough to keep the Raiders offense within striking distance.

October 11, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) is tackled by Denver Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby (29) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Bradley Roby

The matchups that football junkies everywhere were looking to was Amari Cooper vs. Chris Harris Jr. and Michael Crabtree vs. Aqib Talib. The NFL’s best receiving duo vs. the NFL’s best cornerback duo.

But unfortunately for those same football junkies (but fortunately for Oakland’s chances of winning), Aqib Talib has been ruled out of the game.

That leaves Bradley Roby, a very good cornerback in his own right, left to cover Michael Crabtree. Which is still an intriguing matchup, and a tough one for Crabtree. Easier, of course — but certainly not easy.

What Roby does to slow down a wide receiver that is tied for the NFL’s lead in receiving touchdowns will be a key factor in this game. Or on the other hand, what he doesn’t do will be a key factor in this game.

This will be one of the toughest tests thus far in Roby’s young career. He’ll have the athleticism edge, but as Crabtree has shown, it’s not always about who is the best athlete.

With Denver’s secondary being the best in the league, it will be difficult to move the ball through the air. But the passing game is the lifeblood of Oakland’s offense, so they can’t just ignore it.

If the Raiders can take advantage of Talib being out and do what few teams over the last couple of seasons have been able to do — have a successful air attack against Denver — than the Raiders will be 7-2 and in sole possession of first place in theAFC West.