The Denver Broncos host their longtime rival Las Vegas Raiders this week for Thursday Night Football. If the Broncos can find a way to win, they will be 8-2 on the season. Since this is a divisional game,
the implications will be huge for the AFC West standings and potential playoff seeding down the road. Here are three players I believe need to play at a high level in order for the Broncos to come away with a victory on TNF.
Dre Greenlaw — Linebacker
We have seen great performances from the Broncos’ defense through the first half of the season. It’s undeniably been the most consistent part of the team. Yet, the wildcard for the Broncos’ defense heading into the second half of the schedule is likely inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
The veteran made his regular season debut against the New York Giants several weeks ago, but he missed the matchup against the Dallas Cowboys after serving a one game suspension. The Broncos have Greenlaw on a pitch count and are easing his way back into the lineup. While he only played 27 defensive snaps against the Texans, he was all over the field making plays with eight tackles. He also played a big role in the defense’s goal-line stand early in the game.
The Raiders have struggled to date, but rookie running back Ashton Jeanty and second-year tight end Brock Bowers are dynamic playmakers. In order to achieve a win on Sunday, I think the Broncos are going to need to make use of Greenlaw’s speed and range to ensure Las Vegas’ offense doesn’t take flight. I believe we will see an uptick in his snap share and start to get a better idea for Defensive Coordinator’s vision for him the rest of the way out. Just how good this defense can be down the stretch may depend on Greenlaw’s ability to stay healthy and make an impact for the team.
Bo Nix — Quarterback
Second-year quarterback Bo Nix has had an up and down start to his sophomore campaign leading the Broncos. The overall production at first glance looks great. Nix is tied for third in NFL with 17 passing touchdowns, tenth in passing yards, and is the best quarterback in the NFL when it comes to avoiding sacks. Those fourth quarter comebacks are a testament to his clutch performer ability in big moments.
But even with all that good, there are some major concerns based on what we have seen thus far. Nix’s accuracy has been worse than last season and his. When Nix gets the ball out quick, things seem to go well. Unfortunately, he is barely above a 50-percent passer when holding on to the ball for more than 2.5 seconds.
We haven’t seen a lot of passing concepts hitting over the middle of the field and the down the field success hasn’t been there as well. That’s not all his fault though. The receivers have had some bad drops and it’s clear there are growing pains with so many young players getting extended opportunities this season.
The Texans’ defense was a tough draw for Nix and the offense. This weekend, they face a Raiders’ defense that is average at best defending the run and the pass. I feel there will be opportunity for him to make a lot of plays down the field and have a much better performance in primetime than we saw against Houston on Sunday. I’m 100-percent behind Nix as the team’s quarterback. He has outperformed my expectations to date, however, seeing more consistency as a drop back passer and in key situations would be helpful for them in this game and down the stretch.
Jahdae Barron — Defensive Back
Last week, I had cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine as one of the players to watch due to Patrick Surtain II being out of the lineup. He and his teammates played quite well and were able to limit what the Texans were able to do through the air. This week, I’m opting to place rookie defensive back Jahdae Barron in the spotlight as player who needs to have a big game to help the Broncos get their eighth victory of the season.
Through the first eight weeks of the season, Jahdae Barron had primarily seen most of his snaps as a slot corner. It was the exact opposite against the Texans, with Joseph deploying Barron out on the boundary for most of his snaps. The Raiders may be a struggling team, but Brock Bowers is one of the most dynamic weapons in the NFL. They have him line up at a variety of positions and that makes it difficult for opposing defenses to combat his pass catching prowess.
Barron has had success this season, especially against the Cowboys, being an eraser for opposing team’s tight ends. While I don’t expect him to completely shut down Bowers or be assigned to him every play, I am hoping he can play a significant role in limiting Bower’s overall impact on the game. The Broncos can’t afford Bowers have a performance like he did against the Jaguars this past weekend.
