Offense

Broncos - The Broncos found success with their running game in week 3. Knowshon Moreno (21 carries for 90 yds., 1 TD) and Correll Buckhalter (14 carries for 108 yds.) controlled the clock and moved the Broncos down the field. This week, however, it looks like Buckhalter is sitting out with an ankle injury. Moreno is also a little beat up, so this makes room for, drum roll please – Peyton Hillis. Hillis, the Broncos go to guy at the end of last season, has seen more action on the sidelines this year than anywhere else on the field. Last year he carried the ball 68 times for 343 yards while this year he’s carried 12 times for 54 yards. This second year guy should complement the Broncos running game at least on short yardage downs since he weighs 35 lbs. more than Moreno. The Broncos will put points on the board fairly easily as long as they limit turnovers.                  

Raiders- The Raiders were down and out with JaMarcus Russell under center, so they went to Bruce Gradkowski last month and ended up beating the Steelers and Bengals with his leadership. Gradkowski, however was injured last Sunday, so Charlie Frye will be getting the start at QB. Frye hasn’t played this season, and he hasn’t started a game since October 2008. What a blow to Russell’s career. Darren McFadden is back from injury, so I expect the Raiders to use him a lot. Leading receiver Zach Miller suffered a concussion at the end of last week’s game, so he may not suit up. The Raiders are 21st in rushing and 31st in passing. The endzone at Invesco could become a foreign thing to this team.            

Defense

Broncos - The secondary is a beat up bunch that will use this game to make new adjustments. Brain Dawkins is a little battered, but will get the start.  It looks like rookie David Burton will start next to Dawkins in the secondary with Reynaldo Hill suffering an ankle injury and Darcel McBath being moved to the IR (broken arm). I watched Burton in training camp, particularly on special teams, and he hits hard for his size. Last week the Broncos figured out Peyton Manning’s led offense in the 2nd half, so I don’t suspect them having trouble with the Raiders offense. A McFadden-Fargas rushing combination looks mighty threatening, but the Raiders don’t have a balanced offense that can support the run. I see a lot of 3 and outs as long as the Broncos put pressure on Frye and clog the middle of the field.                 

Raiders- The problem with the Raiders defense is that they don’t adjust their defensive scheme according to the team their playing against. They always stick to the man-to-man coverage with one high safety, little blitzing and a four man rush. That’s their story and they’re sticking to it. Like the Chiefs, the Raiders have a tendency to give up big plays both on the ground and in the air. The Raiders are 30th in rush defense and 17th in pass defense. Kirk Morrison leads the team in tackles, Michael Huff and Chris Johnson have 3 INTs a piece, and Nnamdi Asomugha is hands down one of the best corners in the league. You know Asomugha would love to see some different schemes on defense. Richard Seymour will give Ryan Clady a run for his money again, hopefully minus the hair pulling. The Broncos shouldn’t have any problems putting points on the scoreboard.

Special Teams  

Broncos - Darcel McBath will be sorely missed on special teams coverage. Matt Prater missed a field goal last week, but his performance has been so solid all season that I don’t expect it to carry over to this game.    

Raiders-  Jonathan Holland handles kick return duties while Johnnie Lee Higgins takes care of the punt return game. Neither has run one back for a TD this season. Sebastian Janikowski has been good this season hitting 19 of 22 field goals.   

Coaching

Broncos -  Josh McDaniels is beginning to see how much this rivalry means. The last meeting between the two teams was physical and full of trash talk. McD will be fully prepared to handle anything the Raiders throw his way. After preparing for the Colts last week, this week must have seemed like a walk in the park. 

Raiders- If Tom Cable were a target, consider his whole world a firing range. Besides the apparent anger issues, his head coaching position has been in jeopardy all season. He’s officially led the Raiders to another losing season, and the team hasn’t made strides to get better anytime in the near future. Will Al Davis keep the ship sailing the same way or will he finally change his ways? Hmmm…  

 Go Broncos!

Offense

Broncos - Run, run, run. Good things happen when the Broncos run. Knowshon Moreno has been consistently good, and with the help of Correll Buckhalter, they’ve been able to tire opposing defenses. The Chiefs rush defense is terrible, but the sad part about the team is their pass defense is even worse. If the Broncos stay on the positive side of the turnover margin (which shouldn’t be too hard to do), the win is guaranteed. This is a great game for the Broncos to work on converting in the redzone. Last week, they settled for four field goals, which ultimately led to the win, but that won’t work in every game. Converting in the redzone could’ve prevented McD’s outburst on the NFL Network. Not that the Broncos are worried about that, but it goes to show that their redzone struggles are a concern for the young head coach. The Chiefs are known for giving up big pass plays, so if Kyle Orton and Brandon Marshall get their connection going, it could be a long day for Chiefs fans.            

Chiefs- The man indirectly involved in Denver’s offseason drama will square up against his former mentor. Matt Cassel’s life was good last year. He led the Pats to an 11-5 record, and he was the talk of the town. I’m sure he soaked it all up until he landed squarely in the the middle of Kansas City’s rebuilding project. Good thing that 6 year, $63 million contract cushioned his fall from grace. The Chiefs are 26th is passing, but Cassel is establishing a great working relationship with new target, Chris Chambers. Chambers has started four games with the Chiefs and already has 17 catches for 319 yards and 3 TDs. A matchup with Champ Bailey could slow him down. The other guy to be concerned about is Dwayne Bowe who leads the team in receiving. The Chiefs released troubled running back, Larry Johnson, leaving Jamaal Charles to pick up the slack. Their running game isn’t much better than their passing game at 22nd in the NFL. Branden Albert is the Chiefs’ almighty left tackle, and should be Matt Cassel’s dry cleaner as well. Cassel has been sacked 35 times, good enough for 2nd most in the league next to Aaron Rodgers.              

Defense

Broncos - Brian Dawkins is questionable for Sunday due to ankle problems. It would be interesting to see how this defense plays without his leadership abilities and intensity out on the field. Elvis Dumervil should be able to get at least a sack or two against the Chiefs struggling o-line. I suspect the Chiefs will pass a lot since the Broncos will concentrate on Jamaal Charles and his recent success. With Cassel being pressured in the pocket, don’t be surprised to see the young QB throw a ball into the arms of Champ Bailey or Andre Goodman. Cassel tends to lean on his main targets, so getting to him in the pocket will force him into some errant throws. Denver’s defense did a great job against the Giants, creating 3 turnovers and limiting their ground game to just 57 yards. The Broncos did a great job anticipating the play rather than letting the play happen and being forced to close huge gaps. That’s the same thing that needs to happen this week.            

Chiefs- The Chiefs and defense? What’s there to talk about? Ranked 27th in rush defense and 30th in pass defense, and with a league low, 14 sacks on the season, the Broncos could easily have their way with the ball. Philip Rivers had his way with their defense last week, and put together a 43 point performance. As I said before, the Chiefs give up some big plays because the coverage isn’t tight in the secondary. Things went down hill for them when Bernard Pollard was released and Jarrad Page was placed on the IR. The Broncos have started throwing longer balls, so look for them to take advantage of the Chiefs in this area. Demorrio Williams is leading the team in tackles, Tamba Hali and Wallace Gilberry are leading the team in sacks (3.5 a piece), and Mike Brown, Brandon Flowers, and Andy Studebaker all have 2 INTs a piece. Attention fantasy owners: Knowshon and Marshall are good options this week.      

Special Teams  

Broncos - Special teams is doing well as of late. Matt Prater is on his game, and we have two rookies (Darcel McBath and David Burton) leading the team in special teams’ tackles. It’s in the losses that special teams has given up touchdowns or big plays that lead to TDs. Eddie Royal will feel the weight on his shoulders as he tries to return punts from one of the best in the league.

Chiefs-  Punter Dustin Colquitt allows the Chiefs to win the field position game quite often. Of his 69 punts this year, 31 have landed inside the 20 and 6 have landed inside the 10. It looks like the Broncos’ offense could have many long fields ahead of them. Ryan Succop, the very last player taken in the ’09 draft, is a solid kicker except when he kicks from beyond 50. Jamaal Charles has returned a kick for a touchdown this year. 

Coaching

Broncos -  Josh McDaniels probably won’t be caught cursing his team out, but he knows the Chiefs can’t be taken lightly. They’ve already beaten the Steelers, and they went into overtime against the Cowboys. McD knows Cassel’s weak spots and he knows how to prepare his team. This could be the most lopsided game of the season.   

Chiefs- Like McD, Todd Haley is new to his team after seeing success last year as the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl bound Arizona Cardinals. Unlike McD, however, Haley has experienced a lot of tough times. At 3-8, look for Haley to forego the conservative play calling. He knows being effective on offense requires a fast pace against Denver’s always revolving defensive door.   

 Go Broncos!

The first day of the draft was filled with many surprises and questionable moves. Would you have selected Moreno with the 12th pick or would you have gone after someone like Brian Orakpo (Texas) to help the team on defense? Would you have traded up to acquire Alphonso Smith only to lose one of your first round picks next year to Seattle? It’s clear that Josh McDaniels’ first and foremost concern is succeeding next year. After firing Mike Shanahan and trading Jay Cutler, Pat Bowlen knows that whatever Broncos team steps onto the field next year needs to do a lot better than last year’s squad. Josh McDaniels knows that working in Denver past next season is not guaranteed. He made big moves during the draft to secure the base he’s building in Denver. However, did he make the right moves? Six of his ten selections were on offense, and he traded up four times to acquire three offensive players. That makes me nervous because our front seven still needs to be dealt with as we make the switch to the 3-4 alignment.

The second day of the draft included picking up the following players:

-  David Burton, FS, Notre Dame (114th overall): Will be able to cover tall receivers at 6’2” and a 40 inch + vertical jump.

- Seth Olsen, RG, Iowa (132nd overall): Is a great run blocker which could greatly help guys like Moreno and the veteran backs.

- Kenny McKinley, WR, South Carolina (141st overall): One of the fastest guys on the team with a 4.37 40-yard dash. Furture kick/punt returner a possibility.

- Tom Brandstater, QB, Fresno State (174th overall): A big, smart QB (already has his Master’s degree in sports psychology) that will backup Orton and Simms. Should the injury plague strike, he’ll have to be ready to go.

- Blake Schlueter, C, TCU (225th overall): Will need to learn a lot from Casey Wiegmann to become a starter one day.  

Overall, I would give the Broncos a B+ for their draft grade. There are some players such as Moreno, Ayers, and Smith that can make an immediate impact. I’m assuming Tom Brandstater has some of the same qualities that Matt Cassel has so that McD can try to sculpt him for the future while Orton and Simms duke it out now. The rest of the rookies have been credited with being smart, well-mannered players that work well with others. As McD puts it,

 ”We want our guys to be like that because they’ll play together. When I say we’re going to change, I don’t think anybody knows what that means. Including some of our players. Yet, they’re going to find out. Then once they see us be successful from one week to the next, they’re going to go, ‘This works.’”

How do you think the Broncos did in the draft? Leave a comment below.