Oakland Raiders: First Quarter schedule breakdown and predictions
By Kevin Saito
@Denver Broncos
The biggest question surrounding Denver this season is at the quarterback position. There doesn’t seem to be any question that bringing in Case Keenum constitutes an upgrade over last year’s signal callers – Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian.
But, how much of an upgrade is Keenum really?
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Keenum saw his stock skyrocket after all the stars aligned and he had a breakout year with the Vikings last year, going 11-3 as the starter, and throwing for better than 3,500 yards, and 22 touchdowns.
Prior to that though, since being drafted in 2012, Keenum amassed a 9-15 record as a starter, had a 58 percent completion percentage, threw for 5,224 yards, and 24 touchdowns against 20 interceptions.
It’s a tale of two Keenums, and which one shows up in Denver is going to help determine the Broncos fate.
Of course, Denver’s offensive line is going to need to help him out by keeping him upright – something they’ve struggled with in recent seasons. They added Jared Veldheer this offseason, though how much help he adds to the line remains to be seen.
With Devontae Booker running the ball and a trio of explosive wide receivers in Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and now Courtland Sutton, Denver’s offense can be explosive – provided Keenum’s 2017 season wasn’t a fluke and he’s more than just a flash in the pan.
Where Denver could give the Raiders trouble though, is on the defensive side of the ball. There have been some notable subtractions – Aqib Talib being the biggest. But, they’ve still got a defensive front that contains Von Miller among others, that can be incredibly disruptive.
How well the Raiders contain Miller and keep quarterback Derek Carr clean is going to dictate how this game goes. If they can make Miller and his cohorts a non-factor in the game and do on offense what they’re capable of doing, they can win this game.
With the right side of the line now (hopefully) shored up with rookie Kolton Miller, and Donald Penn (hopefully) back to peak health and effectiveness, they can and should be able to hold off Denver’s hard charging defense.
Raiders: 27 Denver: 21