Broncos at Raiders: Five questions with Just Blog Baby

With the Denver Broncos taking on the Oakland Raiders, we re-visit with Just Blog Baby and get their takes on the Raiders since the Week two meeting.

It has been some time since the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders have seen each other. They played each other back in early September, where the Broncos came away victorious to put them at 2-0 on the year.

But the teams have changed quite a bit since then. But it will be an early end for both teams as they will not make the playoffs. There are plenty of fans in Broncos Country that are not happy that the team will be sitting at home once again. We certainly know that something needs to change. Hopefully that change will happen soon.

The Raiders are somewhat in the same boat. They are in the middle of trying to get back into the swing of things. It might take some time, but we will see how they do down the stretch.

The final meeting with the Oakland Raiders should be a good one. With that said, I decided to talk to Brad Weiss from Just Blog Baby and see how the football world in Oakland is going.

Oakland’s has quite the rough season. If you can take anything from this season, how can you describe it in a few words?

Since trading away Khalil Mack right before the season, it was pretty clear that this was going to be a rebuilding year. While the 3-11 record speaks for itself, there have been some bright spots. The rookies we drafted are playing at a very high level, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and Derek Carr has managed to put up solid numbers despite playing behind an offensive line with two rookie tackles, and no real weapons to speak of. The one thing about this team is that they have not given up, and did have that signature win against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home that showed this team is going to play hard for Gruden until the end.

What is your assessment of Jon Gruden in his first season with the Raiders?

Jon Gruden has taken a lot of slack from the fans for pulling the trigger on the Mack, and Amari Cooper deals, but Cooper has come out and said that was all Mark Davis. I think Gruden is doing a great job in year one, as he tries to turn this franchise back into a winner. He is getting great play from his franchise quarterback, and is keeping games close despite seriously lacking in talent in most matchups. He won here before, and I believe he will win here again.

Going into the offseason, what is going to be the biggest move that Oakland needs to make?

The biggest move the Raiders have to make is hitting on their three first round picks in April. Those picks are going to set the stage for what this team is going to look like moving forward. In addition, Oakland has a ton of cap space, and they would be wise to spend some of that cash on Jared Cook, who has been Carr’s favorite weapon the past two seasons. They have a lot of holes to fill, and it will be interesting to see what this roster looks like when they kick off the 2019 season next September.

The Raiders welcome the Broncos on Monday Night. What will it take for Oakland to get the win?

The Raiders are definitely an underdog going into this matchup, as they have struggled against the run this season, and the Broncos have an absolute beast in Philip Lindsay. In order for the Raiders to win, they will have to not only stop Lindsay on the defensive side of the ball, but also give Carr some  time to operate on the offensive side of the ball. The Cincinnati Bengals made a mockery of the Raiders offensive line in Week 15, and if they are to have any shot, they need to sustain drives, and let Carr go to work.

Which player on the Raiders roster do not a lot know about that could make an impact on Monday?

Keep an eye on safety Erik Harris, who has really made a name for himself this season. Harris had a terrific summer, earning a roster spot, and was one of the lone bright spots for the Silver and Black on defense last weekend against the Bengals. He picked up his first NFL interception against Cincinnati, and is improving with each snap he receives, and now that fellow safety Karl Joseph is playing up to his first round selection, the Raiders actually two very capable safeties in the middle of their defensive backfield.

Thank You Brad for taking the time out to chat with me. If you want to see my interview with Brad at Just Blog Baby, you can take a look here.