5 Crucial Defensive Matchups That Could Swing Broncos vs. Raiders

The Denver Broncos' defense has five important matchups to dominate vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.

Nov 24, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) looks to evade the tackle of Denver Broncos safety Brandon Jones (22) during the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos' defense had a rough showing last week, and there should be some fear that the Washington Commanders laid down a blueprint for how to move the ball and succeed against Vance Joseph's defense.

With the Las Vegas Raiders up next, they have the pieces on offense to win in a similar way that the Commanders did, with one big difference. 

Before we get to that, the Broncos' defense is a prideful unit, and it will be looking to prove the Commanders' game was a fluke. The matchups this week were very much in the Broncos' favor, and they should take full advantage.

Let's get into the defensive matchups to watch on Sunday. 

Broncos' Secondary vs. TE Brock Bowers

One of the ways the Commanders were successful was through tight end Zach Ertz in the passing game, as he consistently found a way to get open and make clutch catches. In comes Bowers, who is one of the best receiving tight ends in the NFL. He's a bona fide threat to this Broncos' defense. 

Now, Bowers was all but shut out in the first game, but that was due to the offensive play-calling and the decision-making from the quarterback, who wasn’t looking his way. When turning the tape on, there were plenty of missed opportunities that the Broncos will need to seal up. 

Broncos' rookie cornerback Jahdae Barron has been a key cog for handling tight ends, and he has been hit or miss. The issues against Ertz stemmed from the safety play, so the Broncos will also need Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones to step up to help handle Bowers.

Of course, Patrick Surtain II will likely see a lot of action against Bowers because of the Raiders' lack of quality weapons. 

Broncos' DL vs. Raiders' OL

The Commanders had a lot of success against the Broncos' interior defensive line, and that was with D.J. Jones, who will miss this matchup. Denver will need to hold up, especially with Allen and Franklin-Myers, who were terrible against the run vs. the Commanders. 

One thing the Broncos have going for them is that the Raiders' offensive line is a beaten-up, bad unit with multiple second- and third-stringers starting. They are nowhere near as good a unit as the Commanders were, and Denver had a lot of success upfront against this Raiders' offensive line. 

As the gamer approaches, the Raiders have three interior players on their injury report in Jordan Merideth, Dylan Parham, and Will Putnam. Parham is their starting left guard, with Putnam having started at center and Merideth at right guard, so the injury status of all three is worth monitoring. 

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Broncos' OLBs vs. Raiders' OTs

Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) and linebacker Jonathon Cooper (0) react during the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

In their first matchup, Stone Forsyth and DJ Glaze combined to allow nine pressures and two sacks as the Broncos got after the quarterback from the edges. That should continue, and could be even more dangerous, and Jonah Elliss is poised to return after missing some time with an injury. 

If Elliss does play, that adds another threat to the deep stable of pass rushers the Broncos have. Deondrea Tillman and Que Robinson have managed to make a significant impact when they are on the field, and of course, Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto are leading the way. 

Denver got after the quarterback a lot in the first game, and it should be able to do the same in round two. If the Broncos can keep that pressure up and generate quick pressures, that can force mistakes and take away the quick passing game to an extent, which is something Denver struggled with against the Commanders. 

CBs Riley Moss & Ja’Quan McMillian vs. WRs Tre Tucker & Tyler Lockett

In their first game, Lockett caught five of six targets for 44 yards, with four of five against Moss and McMillian for 43 of those yards. There is a connection between Lockett and the quarterback that the Broncos need to be wary of. 

Tucker caught two of three targets for 28 yards in the first matchup, and they all came against McMillian and Moss, with a missed deep shot in there. The speed Tucker plays with is a threat over the top, and where Moss and McMillian will need to be most cautious when guarding him. 

Moss had some bad moments against the Commanders, but he did put in the work to cut down on penalties, and that worked for Denver, with McMillian coming off back-to-back great games. Denver has the pieces to hold up, but it needs both defenders to execute. 

DC Vance Joseph vs. QB Geno Smith

In their first game, Joseph clearly won against Smith, where the confusion Joseph created with the defensive looks translated to big plays for the defense. It will be on Joseph to be cautious of Smith and the Raiders trying to mimic what Marcus Mariota and the Commanders did to move the ball and have success. 

The Raiders have a worse offensive line, and Joseph has the pieces up front to create disruption, especially with the simulated pressures he has dialed up. Denver was all over Smith in their first game, with six sacks. 

If Joseph can keep Smith from getting rid of the ball quickly, Denver should be able to stack up sacks and big plays against the Raiders. The Broncos have the pieces, but again, it comes down to executing when the time comes.