Oakland Raiders: Keys to beating Denver Broncos in week two matchup

Putting Some Heat On Would Help

Officially, the Raiders accounted for one sack, and five total pressures on Jared Goff. And that was all in the first half. The Raiders didn’t get anywhere near the Rams signal caller over the final 30 minutes of play.

Goff literally had all day in the pocket in the second half of that game. He had time to sit back, do a crossword, and half a three-course meal before deciding where he wanted to stick the ball. And as a result, the Rams completely flipped the game around, and dominated Oakland over the final two quarters.

Yes, not having Khalil Mack in the lineup isn’t helping matters. But, even if the Raiders had been able to keep Mack, they would still need some secondary support. They would still need other guys to step up and put some heat on the quarterback.

For years, when it came to pass rushing, the Raiders were a one-man show. They never had a solid core of guys who could get after the quarterback, and the defense as a whole, paid a price for it.

Now that they don’t have the safety bumper of a Mack on one edge, the Raiders need to get a solid push up the middle from guys like Maurice Hurst, P.J. Hall, if he’s healthy, and the newly acquired Jonathan Hankins and Clinton McDonald. They’ll also need more fire off the edge from Bruce Irvin and Arden Key, among others.

Oakland’s ability to win this game in Denver hinges on whether or not they can exploit a very suspect offensive line, and put some real heat and pressure on Case Keenum. History shows us that when he’s under duress, Keenum is more likely to make mistakes, and get a little jumpy in the pocket.

But, when he as a clean pocket to operate in, feels no heat or pressure, he can be absolutely surgical, and can cut up a defense.

Which makes it absolutely critical – beyond critical – that the Raiders discover a pass rush that looked good during the preseason, yet was absent in week one.