DEN 3 OAK 7
Welcome in to the halftime post for the Raiders' first division game of the season vs. the Denver Broncos where the Raiders lead for the first time against the Broncos in the Peyton Manning era, 3-7 at the half.
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Derek Carr, 11 of 14 passes, 135 yards, 1 TD. The Broncos love to blitz on passing downs, but aside from one sack, Carr has handled the pressure well against their defense. You can give credit to the O-line as well, but Carr has been making all the necessary audibles to keep the defense honest. Against the Broncos' defense, Carr is having an efficient game out there so far.
Charles Woodson, 1 tackle, 1 INT. C-Wood just turned 39 this week and still, age cannot bring him down. He made a funny remark before the game that Peyton Manning has eluded him for 18 years and he made sure to get that INT. That last Broncos drive had "touchdown" written all over it, but Woodson kept his eyes on Manning and managed to pick it off at the end zone.
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Pass rush. Manning and the Broncos' offense will eventually find a way to pick apart that secondary. That means the pass rush has to step it up. Norton listened to us, putting more 3-4 looks and blitzing. Now, either Mack, Smith, or Tuck have to find a way to bring down Manning and bring him down hard.
Bottom Line
If this was last season or the season before, the Broncos would've been leading this game like 31-0. What a difference this year makes. The Raiders have to keep competing. That means keep calling clean offensive plays, let Derek Carr do his thing with the weapons around him, and give Manning different looks that'll confuse him on the defensive end. Let's see what happens in the 2nd half.
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