All good things had to come to an end at some rate. The Raiders went on an impressive 8-0 run to defeat the Denver Broncos. They had their number and a wins came easy for the club. However, the streak got halted, as the Broncos defeated the Raiders in Denver in a lopsided 34-18 victory.

Things have been different for each club since that first game. The Broncos have split their last six games and have a 6-5 record, whereas the Raiders have fired their offensive coordinator and have lost five in a row. For them to right the ship, a few things will need to happen.

Spread the Ball Around

Aside from the amazing 57 yard catch for a touchdown by rookie tight end Brock Bowers, the Raiders did very little offensively. Heck, half of his yards came off one play as he finished with 97 for the game. The only other player to have north of 50 receiving yards let alone 30 was receiver Jakobi Meyers. Quarterback Gardner Minshew was benched and the Raiders were quite lost. Not ideal for the Raiders.

The biggest key is going to be able to spread the ball around. Even in their first game under a new offensive coordinator against the Miami Dolphins, they heavily fed Bowers the ball. Which of course get the ball into your best playmakers hands, but don’t be predictable either. The Broncos already met against the Raiders once and have a good idea of what they will do.

The Broncos have one of the best corners in Patrick Surtain who will likely be matched up against Meyers. If the Raiders want to have success against the Broncos, spread the ball around more. Utilize the speed of Tre Tucker and get more guys involved other than Bowers.

Also, establish the run game or you become a pass heavy team against a defense that is good against it.

Make Life Difficult for Nix

Bo Nix is beginning to heat up and is playing better football for the Broncos. Since the game against the Raiders, he has 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Heck, up until the first Raiders game Nix had just one touchdown and four interceptions. He’s elevated his play and is great to see from the rookie.

He is not just getting it done through the air, but also on the ground. Nix has been a bright spot and certainly keeping pace with the top three quarterbacks drafted this past draft. For the Raiders to have better success, they’ll need to make life hard for him.

Last matchup, Maxx Crosby finished with two sacks and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins had one. Well, Wilkins is done for the season so they’ll need Crosby to be the machine that he is. That’s not all though. The Raiders will need more than just Crosby in this game and getting good pressure against Nix.

Nix has thrown for 200+ yards in all but one game since the first meeting with the Raiders. He is also coming off a four touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons. Finding ways to disrupt his confidence goes a long ways.