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Oakland Raiders Host Rematch With Denver Broncos
Two months is a long time in the NFL, and we need look no further than Denver (2-5 straight up and against the spread) and Oakland (4-3 SU, 5-2 ATS) as confirmation.
When the Broncos and Raiders faced off in their Monday night opener in the Mile High City, the quarterback matchup featured Kyle Orton and Jason Campbell. Oakland was also to rely heavily upon its ground game featuring RB Darren McFadden. Tim Tebow was unlikely to see action for Denver.
Carson Palmer? He was semi-retired in Orange County, California after refusing to report to his employer, the Cincinnati Bengals, biding his time with his own workouts alongside one of his former wide receivers, T.J. Houshamndzadeh, most recently with Baltimore but looking for a new team.
Fast forward eight weeks, and many of the components have changed for this Sunday’s rematch at the Coliseum. The Don Best odds screen notes shows that the majority of Las Vegas betting outlets have the Raiders listed as 8-point favorites, with a total at 43, for the 4:05 p.m. (ET) kickoff. CBS will provide the TV coverage.
As for those changes from the first meeting? Neither Orton (benched) nor Campbell (broken collarbone) are in their respective lineups. McFadden’s status is questionable with a mid-foot sprain. And the quarterback matchup features none other than Tebow for Denver and...Carson Palmer for the Raiders.
Indeed, the Palmer storyline might actually eclipse the hullabaloo that has surrounded Tebow since he was named the Bronco starting QB by coach John Fox two weeks ago. More on the ex-Florida Heisman winner in a moment.
The developments in Oakland are a bit more intriguing because the Raiders, unlike Denver, have a playoff look about them. If, that is, Palmer can pick up the Raider offense better than he did in his debut game October 23 vs. the Chiefs, when he was mostly awful, completing 11-of-21 passes and one TD.
The problem was that only eight of his completions were to Oakland receivers; the other three were recorded by Kansas City defenders. And his lone TD pass was actually scored by Chiefs DB Brandon Flowers. Coupled with Kyle Boller’s three interceptions, it was a nightmare six-interception day sans Campbell for the Oakland offense, blanked 28-0 by the Chiefs.
The subsequent bye week might have benefited the Raiders, however, if Palmer was indeed able to get more comfy with coach Hue Jackson’s playbook. Reportedly, Palmer was working with only 15 plays for the game vs. Kansas City. As for old friend Houshmandzadeh, he was signed this week by Oakland, ostensibly to provide Palmer with a familiar target.
The only problem for the Raiders is that we’re not talking about 2005 in Cincinnati, when the Palmer-Houshmandzadeh combination was riding high. Palmer has endured significant punishment and injuries since and was hardly lighting the league afire in his most recent action with the Bengals last season, tossing 20 interceptions for a 4-12 team.
As for Houshmandzadeh, his star has faded from the Bengal days, too, to the point he was only marginally effective when last seen with the Ravens a year ago. His 30 catches with Baltimore in 2010 were his fewest since his rookie year in 2001 with Cincy, when he caught 21 passes.
Still, the Raiders can be encouraged by recent games against the Broncos, ones Oakland has mostly dominated. The Raiders have won and covered the last four meetings and are 9-2 vs. the number their last 11 vs. Denver.
Moreover, the Raiders have been manhandling the Broncos lately, especially a year ago when winning both meetings by a combined 98-37 scoreline. Over the last three clashes, including the 23-20 Monday night win during opening week, Oakland has averaged 256 yards on the ground vs. an overmatched Bronco defense. McFadden, in particular, has been dominant, rumbling for 150 yards in the September win, which is why his status is important for this week.
As for the Broncos, the Tebow experiment continues. Results have been predictable the past two games since Tebow took over the controls from the ineffective Orton, as the ex-Gator has struggled. This was especially true last week vs. the Lions, when Tebow hit the deck more often than Floyd Patterson while suffering seven sacks. In the face of such pressure, Tebow completed only 18 of his 39 pass attempts, although he did escape from the pocket enough times to gain 63 yards on the ground.
Tebow is now 2-3 as a Broncos starter, and was able to rally the team from double-digit deficits in both of those wins (last December vs. Houston and October 23 at Miami). But his limitations have been exposed in a structured NFL offense, and he continues to have problems reading blitzes. Tebow is still at his best when able to improvise, as he was in the final few minutes of the Dolphins game two weeks ago.
Most sources believe Tebow probably has the month of November as an audition for Fox and team president John Elway, who inherited Tebow from the Josh McDaniels regime. Some insiders believe that if Tebow fails to progress in the next few weeks, Fox is likely to give Brady Quinn a look in December before the Broncos decide which direction they wish to take, which could also include one of what looks like a bountiful haul of QBs in the upcoming draft.
Denver has other problems, however, including the status of RB Willis McGahee, who missed the Detroit game with a hand injury. The Broncos rank 26th in total offense and 21st in total defense, as Fox attempts to rebuild a roster that was torn asunder by the McDaniels regime.
Of the 19 draft picks by young Josh in 2009 and 2010, only eight are currently on the Broncos active roster. And of McDaniels’ eight picks in the first two rounds those years, only three (Tebow, LG Zane Beadles and DE Robert Ayers) are in the current starting lineup.
Two months is a long time in the NFL, and we need look no further than Denver (2-5 straight up and against the spread) and Oakland (4-3 SU, 5-2 ATS) as confirmation.
When the Broncos and Raiders faced off in their Monday night opener in the Mile High City, the quarterback matchup featured Kyle Orton and Jason Campbell. Oakland was also to rely heavily upon its ground game featuring RB Darren McFadden. Tim Tebow was unlikely to see action for Denver.
Carson Palmer? He was semi-retired in Orange County, California after refusing to report to his employer, the Cincinnati Bengals, biding his time with his own workouts alongside one of his former wide receivers, T.J. Houshamndzadeh, most recently with Baltimore but looking for a new team.
Fast forward eight weeks, and many of the components have changed for this Sunday’s rematch at the Coliseum. The Don Best odds screen notes shows that the majority of Las Vegas betting outlets have the Raiders listed as 8-point favorites, with a total at 43, for the 4:05 p.m. (ET) kickoff. CBS will provide the TV coverage.
As for those changes from the first meeting? Neither Orton (benched) nor Campbell (broken collarbone) are in their respective lineups. McFadden’s status is questionable with a mid-foot sprain. And the quarterback matchup features none other than Tebow for Denver and...Carson Palmer for the Raiders.
Indeed, the Palmer storyline might actually eclipse the hullabaloo that has surrounded Tebow since he was named the Bronco starting QB by coach John Fox two weeks ago. More on the ex-Florida Heisman winner in a moment.
The developments in Oakland are a bit more intriguing because the Raiders, unlike Denver, have a playoff look about them. If, that is, Palmer can pick up the Raider offense better than he did in his debut game October 23 vs. the Chiefs, when he was mostly awful, completing 11-of-21 passes and one TD.
The problem was that only eight of his completions were to Oakland receivers; the other three were recorded by Kansas City defenders. And his lone TD pass was actually scored by Chiefs DB Brandon Flowers. Coupled with Kyle Boller’s three interceptions, it was a nightmare six-interception day sans Campbell for the Oakland offense, blanked 28-0 by the Chiefs.
The subsequent bye week might have benefited the Raiders, however, if Palmer was indeed able to get more comfy with coach Hue Jackson’s playbook. Reportedly, Palmer was working with only 15 plays for the game vs. Kansas City. As for old friend Houshmandzadeh, he was signed this week by Oakland, ostensibly to provide Palmer with a familiar target.
The only problem for the Raiders is that we’re not talking about 2005 in Cincinnati, when the Palmer-Houshmandzadeh combination was riding high. Palmer has endured significant punishment and injuries since and was hardly lighting the league afire in his most recent action with the Bengals last season, tossing 20 interceptions for a 4-12 team.
As for Houshmandzadeh, his star has faded from the Bengal days, too, to the point he was only marginally effective when last seen with the Ravens a year ago. His 30 catches with Baltimore in 2010 were his fewest since his rookie year in 2001 with Cincy, when he caught 21 passes.
Still, the Raiders can be encouraged by recent games against the Broncos, ones Oakland has mostly dominated. The Raiders have won and covered the last four meetings and are 9-2 vs. the number their last 11 vs. Denver.
Moreover, the Raiders have been manhandling the Broncos lately, especially a year ago when winning both meetings by a combined 98-37 scoreline. Over the last three clashes, including the 23-20 Monday night win during opening week, Oakland has averaged 256 yards on the ground vs. an overmatched Bronco defense. McFadden, in particular, has been dominant, rumbling for 150 yards in the September win, which is why his status is important for this week.
As for the Broncos, the Tebow experiment continues. Results have been predictable the past two games since Tebow took over the controls from the ineffective Orton, as the ex-Gator has struggled. This was especially true last week vs. the Lions, when Tebow hit the deck more often than Floyd Patterson while suffering seven sacks. In the face of such pressure, Tebow completed only 18 of his 39 pass attempts, although he did escape from the pocket enough times to gain 63 yards on the ground.
Tebow is now 2-3 as a Broncos starter, and was able to rally the team from double-digit deficits in both of those wins (last December vs. Houston and October 23 at Miami). But his limitations have been exposed in a structured NFL offense, and he continues to have problems reading blitzes. Tebow is still at his best when able to improvise, as he was in the final few minutes of the Dolphins game two weeks ago.
Most sources believe Tebow probably has the month of November as an audition for Fox and team president John Elway, who inherited Tebow from the Josh McDaniels regime. Some insiders believe that if Tebow fails to progress in the next few weeks, Fox is likely to give Brady Quinn a look in December before the Broncos decide which direction they wish to take, which could also include one of what looks like a bountiful haul of QBs in the upcoming draft.
Denver has other problems, however, including the status of RB Willis McGahee, who missed the Detroit game with a hand injury. The Broncos rank 26th in total offense and 21st in total defense, as Fox attempts to rebuild a roster that was torn asunder by the McDaniels regime.
Of the 19 draft picks by young Josh in 2009 and 2010, only eight are currently on the Broncos active roster. And of McDaniels’ eight picks in the first two rounds those years, only three (Tebow, LG Zane Beadles and DE Robert Ayers) are in the current starting lineup.
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