Predictions Summary Projections by Position Projection Team Boxes

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Prediction: OAK 17, DEN 31 (Line: DEN by OFF)

UPDATE: Emmanuel Sanders was limited in practices but had a full day on Friday and is expected to be fine for this week.

Surprisingly this game matters and not because it can get the Broncos to their third straight #1 seed, but because it prevents them from falling to the #3 and missing that first round bye. This is a replay of week 10 when the Broncos won 41-17 in Oakland. There is a chance of snow in this game.

The season winds down with the Raiders coming off a surprise win over the Bills but they still have an 0-7 road record and lost to the Broncos by 24 points in Oakland. The Raiders will still command a top 5 pick in the NFL draft with plenty of needs but quarterback is not one of them and that means dropping back won’t hurt them as much.

QUARTERBACK : Derek Carr is having a decent rookie season and wildly successful if you consider what has gone on before him in Oakland. Carr already threw 20 touchdowns this year against 11 interceptions and that is with a questionable set of receivers. Carr passed for 192 yards and two scores on the Broncos earlier but had two interceptions.

RUNNING BACK : Maurice Jones-Drew is gone from the box scores now and Darren McFadden hasn’t done much there as well. McFadden scored twice this year but not since week seven and he’s been stuck in sub-30 yard efforts in the second half of the season. Latavius Murray has been a positive addition and taken over the primary rushing duties since week 12 when he had his breakout game. Murray was slowly getting worse each week but bounced back versus the Bills with 86 yards on 23 runs and three catches for 22 more yards. In week 10, McFadden only gained 14 yards on seven carries while MJD ended with ten yards on three runs.

WIDE RECEIVER : Despite running through seven different wide receivers this year, only Andre Holmes and James Jones have been productive or even remotely consistent. Holmes was blanked by the Broncos last time but turned in 70+ yards in the last two games. Jones only gained 20 yards on eight catches that week but scored in each of the last two weeks. Jones has never been good for more than 40 or 50 yards this year but totals a team-leading six receiving touchdowns.

TIGHT END : Mychal Rivera has at least brought the position back into use with his four scores since week nine and a 100 yard effort against the 49ers. Rivera caught six passes for 64 yards and one score in the last meeting with the Broncos.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The problem this week is that the Broncos really want to win and are at home. And they already had no problem dispatching the Raiders in their own stadium. Jones is a play for one touchdown and Murray is likely just yardage and hoping he breaks a long run. even Rivera has some promise here against one of the worst defenses versus tight ends.

The loss to the Bengals not only means the #1 seed is impossible – it wasn’t going to happen anyway – but it is alarming to see Peyton Manning seemingly unable to play in bad weather. If that is true, then going to New England in three weeks is not going to be a treat. And the lack of run defense is problematic as well since later in the year, the run takes more of a precedence over the pass. It’s looking like the Broncos are built for September and not January.

QUARTERBACK : After a blistering pace to the season, Peyton Manning’s stats have really declined. He passed for 340 yards and five scores in Oakland as a season high in week ten. But since week 13, his four games have only totaled five touchdowns and twice failed to reach 180 passing yards. This week should be a bounce back at home.

RUNNING BACK : At least C.J. Anderson has been highly productive and to some degree responsible for the lesser passing numbers. Anderson has made a name for himself as the primary back and ran with such power and conviction that he’ll remain there even when everyone is healthy again. Back in week ten, Anderson ran for 90 yards on 13 runs and added four catches for 73 yards and a score in Oakland. He shared ten carries between Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson that week but Anderson takes nearly the complete workload now.

WIDE RECEIVER : Demaryius Thomas is having another banner year 103 catches for 1504 yards and 11 touchdowns so far. Emmanuel Sanders is not far behind with 95 receptions for 1331 yards and nine scores. Thomas delivered 11 catches for 108 yards in Oakland while Sanders turned five receptions into 67 yards and two touchdowns. Wes Welker plays out his final year with around 30 yards in most games.

TIGHT END : Julius Thomas is still not 100% healthy and dropping passes he would normally catch. Thomas has not topped 33 yards for the last three games but had one of his best efforts of the year five weeks ago when he reeled in six passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Broncos need this game to stay ahead of the Bengals and cannot know what happens with them since they play in the Sunday night game. Manning already shredded the Raiders once but is a concern with lower production in recent weeks. Dance with who brought you anyway. Manning, Anderson, Sanders and both Thomas’ are must starts. There is a chance of snow here which might bother Manning.

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