Raiders-Broncos: 5 things to watch for in Week 11

The Las Vegas Raiders are looking to end a three-game losing streak to teams with a losing record by trying to get the season sweep over AFC West rival, the 3-6 Denver Broncos.

The Raiders beat Denver 32-23 in Las Vegas in Week 4. Let’s look at five keys to victory for the 2-7 Raiders on Sunday:

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Get Josh Jacobs going:

When the Raiders faced Denver in Week 4, running back Josh Jacobs started to get hot. He had 144 yards rushing on 28 carries and he scored two touchdowns. It began a three-game stretch in which Jacobs ran for, at least, 143 yards. Las Vegas went 2-1 in those games. During the current losing streak Jacobs has not ran for more than 78 yards in a game. But he has run hard and well when the Raiders have used him. They need to get back to a Jacobs-heavy attack, especially against a defense they’ve had success against.

Pressure Russell Wilson:

Wilson has been pretty inconsistent in his first year after his blockbuster trade from the Seattle Seahawks to the Broncos. But he was pretty efficient against the Raiders in October. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 237 yards and he threw two touchdown passes. Denver, which is the lowest-scoring team in the NFL, scored a season-high 23 points against the Raiders. Las Vegas has to make Wilson uncomfortable and he is getting hit at a high rate.

The Raiders who have an NFL-low 10 sacks, dropped Wilson three times in Week 4. They need, to least, duplicate that total.

Adams-Surtain:

Raiders’ star wide receiver Davante Adams and Denver young star cornerback Patrick Surtain had a spirited battle in Week 4. But Adams did his work as he had nine catches for 101 yards. Despite the Raiders’ overall offensive issues, Adams has been hot in the past two games after having one catch for three yards in a shutout loss to the Saints. He has a total of 19 catches for 272 yards and three touchdowns in the past two weeks. Surtain will be up for the task, but the Raiders need to keep feeding Adams.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Execute:

Execution is a key word around the Raiders these days. Coach Josh McDaniels and some players, including Adams, have said the lack of execution has been a problem at times. Adams was especially strong about his thoughts on the lack of execution by some unnamed players after the Week 10 loss to the Colts. The Raiders just aren’t good enough to win with poor execution. They better figure it out soon.

Find road magic:

The Raiders are 0-5 on the road going into this game. They have to find a way to win on the road. The good news is the Raiders have won their past two games in Denver, so perhaps they will continue their success there and finally enjoy a flight back to Las Vegas.