Five Key Matchups: Broncos at Raiders

Von Miller took over the Broncos’ franchise record for career sacks last week, but don’t expect him to slow down against Derek Carr and the Raiders on Monday. In a Week 2 win over Oakland earlier this year, Miller sacked Carr on a key third down to limit the Raiders to a field goal, and he’ll be looking to make more big plays as he chases the league lead for sacks this season. Miller trails leader Aaron Donald by two sacks.

Carr has gone a franchise-record 292 consecutive passes without throwing an interception, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be opportunities to generate a turnover. Carr has lost a fumble in each of the last two weeks and has fumbled the ball nine times this season, tied for fourth-most in the NFL. Miller is always looking to force the ball loose when he comes in for a sack, and Monday night could be a great opportunity for him to add another strip-sack to his total.

After a few quiet weeks, Sutton bounced back in a big way against the Browns, bringing in five of his six targets for 42 yards. Sutton showed physicality and strong hands on several of his catches, which impressed Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave.

“The short routes are great,” Musgrave said Friday. “He does a nice job of slants, unders, hooks and shallow crosses. We love when he goes deep because we can put it up on the top shelf and he goes up and takes it.”

Sutton will look to carry that momentum against another young player: Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley.

Conley is tied for the Raiders’ team lead with two interceptions, and the 2017 first-round pick has come on strong in the past few weeks. Against the Steelers, he helped limit Antonio Brown to just five catches for 35 yards in Oakland’s upset win. Sutton vs. Conley pits two up-and-coming players in what could be a preview of a key AFC West matchup for years to come.

Perhaps the best battle in the trenches when the Broncos have the ball will come right in the middle between Broncos center Connor McGovern and Raiders defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. McGovern has performed solidly at center since taking over for injured starter Matt Paradis, and he’ll need to play well again in this contest to protect Case Keenum and open up running lanes for the Broncos’ runners.

But Hankins won’t make that an easy endeavor. The journeyman defensive tackle has been one of the constants during the Raiders’ injury-riddled season, and with Maurice Hurst dealing with an ankle injury, Hankins will be charged with stepping up in his stead.

Sitting just 9 yards short of 1,000 this season, Phillip Lindsay will be eager to surpass that milestone and more against the Raiders. The record for rushing yards by an undrafted rookie is 1,104 yards, and that’s within striking distance, too.

“It’s an accolade that we all get to cherish,” Lindsay said Wednesday. “Going over 1,000 yards and possibly breaking the record for [an undrafted rookie], it’s just a milestone that the offensive line deserves because they’ve been working.”

One of the players standing in Lindsay’s way could be weakside linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who leads the Raiders in tackles by a wide margin. His 108 combined tackles rank tied for 12th in the NFL and are 44 ahead of the next-closest Raider, Marquel Lee. Whitehead is an athletic, sideline-to-sideline linebacker, but Lindsay’s speed might just be enough to allow him to rip off a few big runs Monday night.

Perhaps no Broncos defensive back has been as reliable as Justin Simmons. The starting free safety hasn’t missed a defensive snap this season, and he can be used all over the formation.

On Monday, his focus could shift to tight end Jared Cook, the Raiders’ leading receiver in receptions, yards and touchdowns. The Broncos did an excellent job of limiting Cook in Week 2, holding him to just four catches and 49 yards.

“What worked was simply guys doing their jobs,” Head Coach Vance Joseph said Friday. “When they flex him out as a receiver, technique is very, very important. Having the right matchup is very, very important. Hopefully we can do it again Monday night.”

If Simmons is up to the task, he may give the Broncos the upper hand.