Ahead of the Denver Broncos game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, we asked Levi Damien of Raiders Wire five questions about Las Vegas and Sunday’s showdown. Check out our questions and Levi’s answers below.
1. Aidan O’Connell got just two starts this season before landing on injured reserve. Was that (plus last year’s 10 starts) enough to know if he’s the long-term answer at QB?
No. If anything, AOC’s starts have shown he is decidedly not a franchise QB. He has a big arm and that’s about where it ends. I don’t see him being that charismatic leader of an NFL team, he doesn’t improvise well, and he’s not the slightest bit mobile. I think last year the defense came on strong late and led this team to some surprising success. That didn’t follow into this season and as mediocre as Minshew has been, he still outplayed AOC in camp. Pierce only made the change earlier this season to try and find a spark of some kind. Of any kind. It’s past time to start looking at a top-of-the draft franchise QB.
2. If the Raiders don’t get back on track soon, do you think Antonio Pierce could be let go during the season?
He absolutely could, yes. The fire he built last season was stoked atop the ‘Ding-Dong-the-witch-is-dead’ of Josh McDaniels’s departure (something you folks in Denver surely understand) and he seized upon that. But this team was lost two weeks into this season. When he overreacted with his “business decisions” comment after the Week two loss to the Panthers, everything was gone. He is just too volatile. First the overreaction to the loss and then the overreaction to the win over the Browns. And then, of course, there’s his bizarre decisions on fourth down this season. And I say this as someone who really likes Pierce. He’s a great guy and I love how open and forthright he is in press conferences. But this team needs to right itself and Pierce may not be the steady hand to do it.
3. Does Las Vegas have an underrated player that Broncos fans should be aware of this week?
Would it be strange if I said no? Their good players are pretty obvious and rated accordingly. It’s Maxx Crosby, Brock Bowers, and Jakobi Meyers. Early on, Tre Tucker seemed like he might make some noise, so I guess there’s always that threat, but that’s it.
4. It appears that Brock Bowers has lived up to his pre-draft hype. Is he the Raiders’ biggest threat on offense?
Biggest threat is an understatement. He is the key to their entire offense. His ability to get yards after the catch is unreal. If you haven’t been watching him this season, you will soon realize what I’m talking about. He is a legit superstar.
5. What’s your prediction for Sunday — who wins and why?
Broncos win because they’re a very good team on both sides of the ball and the Raiders are the opposite of that. I expect a lopsided affair pretty much on par with what we saw in their last matchup.
Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on Fox (view the TV map). The Broncos are considered the favorite despite playing on the road.
