Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Raiders Take Down Broncos in Denver, Again

Well, let's just say the Raiders have the Broncos number in the mile-high city, cause they just can't seem to lose there lately, and Darren McFaden may think about joining the Broncos if he ever becomes a FA, because he absolutely tears it up in the high altitude setting!

The Raiders offense was Conservative, and the way they played really reminded me of the way the 49ers played their game against the Seahawks on Sunday. They tried some trickery early with Jacoby Ford, and it cost them, then Hue Jackson went into complete conservative mode. Jason Campbell wasn't explosive, but effective, going 13-22 for 105 yards and a score. He didn't turn the ball over and played just as good as he had to to get the job done, much like Alex Smith did the day before. Really, the only difference between the 49ers and the Raiders games was that the 49ers got their big plays on special teams, and the Raiders made most of theirs on defense. That Chris Johnson had one heckuva a game keeping up with Brandon Loyd, and keeping Kyle Orton's favorite target in check. He came up with some big tackles and a big deflection on 3rd down late in the game that helped seal it up for the Silver and Black. Add in a couple Janikowski field goals, and you have yourself a victory. The 63-yarder by Janikowski was just ridiculous, and he's by far the only kicker in the NFL I look forward to watching kick (also sailed all kickoffs into the stands kicking from the 35)!

Offensively, it was all about Run DMC, as he once again ended up with another huge game in Denver. DMac ran the ball 22 times for 150 yards and also caught a pass, as he and Michael Bush were able to run down Denver's throat's to work the clock and seal the game. Defensively, it was all about the pressure the Raiders kept on Orton all night, as they sacked him over 5 times and hurried him into bad throws many more times than that. Next week, the Raiders have a little tougher challenge, but not much, by way of the Buffalo Bills, but they certainly have a more explosive offense than Denver, and the Raiders are going to have to keep up with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson and the rest of the underrated Buffalo offense. And if you want to wager on that particular game, check out 11th hour SMS sports picks.

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