Oakland Raiders: Keys To Victory Over Denver Broncos

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Oct 4, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Owen Daniels (81) spikes his touchdown catch in the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Vikings 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Put A Body On Daniels

Through the first four weeks of the season, the Raiders have established a more than disturbing trend. They seem to have made it a habit of turning unknown and unheralded tight ends into superstars. Tyler Eifert, Crockett Gillmore, Gary Barndidge, and last week – the only unknown of the bunch – Martellus Bennett all managed to gash and gouge the Raiders defense for big yards and plenty of points.

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This week, the Raiders find themselves squaring off with Owen Daniels who has a reputation for productivity in the league. He’s also establishing himself as one of Manning’s favorite targets – especially in short yardage situations and down in the red zone. For the season, Daniels has 12 receptions on 21 targets for 61 yards and a pair of scores – his two touchdown catches are tied for the team lead with wideout Emmanuel Sanders.

The Raiders are going to need to figure out how to defend against yet another tight end having a big day against them. For all of his strengths and value to the run defense, middle linebacker Curtis Lofton has been a train wreck when it comes to defending the pass.

One possible solution that has been floated is sticking rookie linebacker Neiron Ball on him. Ball has been tremendous against the run as well as the pass in his limited time on the field. But DC Ken Norton has shied away from giving the rookie too much playing time to this point. Ball has proven that he can make plays, Norton just needs to give him the snaps to make them.

But with opposing tight ends absolutely having their way with Oakland’s linebackers, it’s clear that some outside the box thinking needs to happen. And it needs to happen soon.

Daniels is a big target and a big threat for the Raiders. Especially down in the red zone. They need to put a body on him and use somebody that is physical, aggressive, and can play smart in pass coverage against him. If they don’t, expect Daniels to have a big day in Oakland.

Next: Wrap It Up

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