The Denver Broncos are set to face off against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12 of the 2024 season, and the war on attrition is taking its toll for the Raiders this season.
The Broncos have a number of notable players on their injury report this week as well, including defensive lineman Zach Allen (who is listed as questionable), but the injury report for Vegas this week is rather extensive...
Raiders/Broncos Fri Injury Report #Raiders pic.twitter.com/rbXc8Omt2z
— Your Boy Q (@YourboyQ254) November 22, 2024
Bo Nix could feast on beaten up Raiders secondary
Raiders cornerback Jack Jones got in a limited participation on Friday, but other than that, the entire top three for Vegas at the cornerback position is questionable or worse for this game against Denver. And two of their top guys are out.
Specifically, the Raiders will be without their best corner -- Nate Hobbs -- as well as a young player who has been playing well for them in Jakorian Bennett. Bennett and Jack Jones are actually tied for the Raiders this year with eight passes defensed each. Bennett also has the Raiders' lowest QB rating when targeted this season at 67.7. Their next best corner in that metric is Nate Hobbs at 88.4.
And to reiterate, neither of those guys will be playing against the Denver Broncos.
If the Broncos can put together a competent protection plan for Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, they've got a shot to really do some big-time stuff in the passing game against Vegas. Crosby is the only player on the Raiders' roster with more than seven QB pressures this season (per Pro Football Reference), a big reason why this team is just outside the bottom 10 when it comes to 3rd down defense.
Anything can happen in the NFL in a given week, there's no question about it. The Broncos are road favorites against the Raiders which makes sense based on the way both teams have been playing, but it's important to keep in mind that the Broncos are also still a very young team and they have never won in Vegas up to this point.
They are going to have to play mistake-free football and force the issue with the Raiders, who still have the playmakers to win at home.
With that being said, it would be a bit of an upset if Bo Nix wasn't able to feast against a battered Raiders secondary like this. The Raiders are dead last in the NFL at forcing turnovers and Bo Nix is one of the best when it comes to minimizing turnover-worthy plays. He's got to keep that up this week to keep the Broncos on pace to make the postseason in 2024.
Other bad news for the Raiders on the final injury report included two rare "doubtful" designations for running backs Zamir White and Alexander Mattison. That is rough for a team that has already struggled badly to run the ball this year.
Ameer Abdullah and Dylan Laube are expected to pick up the slack, and the Broncos not having much film at all on Laube could end up working to the Raiders' advantage.
Ultimately, things have really shaped up for the Broncos to sort of overlook the Raiders. They need to learn from what happened to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns, a two-win team that upset a division rival seemingly coasting toward the playoffs. That should have been an "easy" win for the Steelers.
The Broncos can't afford trap game slip-ups at this stage. They need to take advantage of the Raiders where they are weakest, and this week, it looks like that's in the secondary.