The four most important numbers as the Broncos take on the Raiders

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders started the 2017 season with a combined 4-0 record. Since each team’s hot start, practically nothing has gone right as the Broncos have dropped seven of their past eight, and the Raiders have lost six of their last eight.

What initially seemed to be a game with high playoff stakes at the beginning of the season, now looks to have more significance on the 2018 NFL Draft. But, if somehow the Broncos can put together a winning streak, who’s to say the playoffs are out of the realm of possibility. It’s still mathematically possible.

If that is to happen, beating the division-rival Raiders is a must, and if that’s to happen, here are the four numbers that will make that possibility a reality.

275

The Raiders have two franchise players, one on each side of the ball—Derek Carr on the offense and Khalil Mack on the defense. However, when it comes to winning games, Carr’s unit holds the keys.

Even with a defensive-minded coach, Jack Del Rio, Oakland is built to win based entirely on the performance of their offense. In their four wins, they’ve averaged over 413 yards of offense. In their six losses, they’ve only averaged 268.7 yards of offense, eclipsing 274 yards of offense just twice.

The key for the Broncos is simple: hold the Raiders to under 275 yards of offense. The good news for Denver is they’ve done that seven of their nine games, including in the team’s first matchup, when Denver held the Raiders to 254 yards of offense in a 16-10 victory.

115

On the other side of the ball, while the entire group’s performance doesn’t link back to the success of the team, their ability to stop, or control, opposing teams rushing attacks plays a large part in their success.

In five of the team’s 10 games, they’ve allowed more than 115 rushing yards. In those contests, they’ve gone 1-4. However, when the team has bent but not broke against the run and held opposing teams to 115 yards and under, they’ve gone 3-2.

Fortunately for Denver, they’ve found this level of success rushing the ball in five of their 10 games, including in the first matchup when the Broncos ran their way to victory, putting up 143 rushing yards on the Raiders.

17

The formula for beating the Raiders is simple: hold them to 17 points or less, and they’ll lose. However, if their offense wakes up and scores more than that, they’ll win.

In their six losses, they’ve averaged 12.5 points per game, with a high of only 17 points. In their four wins, they’ve put up an average of 32.25 points per game, nearly tripling what they score in their losses.

Denver’s defense has held opposing teams to 17 points or less just twice, including a season-best 10 points against the Raiders in Week 4. However, since then, they’ve allowed an average of 30.1 points per game.

1.5

As Carr goes, so go the Raiders, specifically with his ability to control the football.

In the Raiders four wins, he’s thrown a total of one interception. However, in the Raiders’ five losses in which Carr played—he missed one start due to injury—he’s thrown seven interceptions, including three two-interception games.

If Denver is to beat the Raiders in Oakland, they’ll likely need to have multiple interceptions against the Pro Bowl quarterback, something they’ve only done once this season.