Oakland Raiders: 5 Key matchups vs. Broncos in Week 4

Gareon Conley vs. Emmanuel Sanders

While Oakland’s offense will have their hands full with an elite Broncos defense, the Raiders defense will also need to step up to make this game competitive. One of the best matchups of the week will be rookie cornerback Gareon Conley vs wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Oakland’s cornerbacks have struggled to stay on the field in the early portion of the season. Cornerbacks David Amerson, Gareon Conley and Sean Smith have all missed games with injuries, with Smith expected to miss this week as well.

Conley is still dealing with lingering injuries and has been limited in practice this week. However, Conley appears to be on pace to play on Sunday. The Raiders will need Conley at the top of his game if they want to slow down a receiver like Sanders, especially missing their starting cornerback. Sanders already has 163 yards and two touchdowns over the first three weeks of the season.

Conley has looked good for the Raiders in the first two games of his career. However, Conley lacks NFL experience and Sanders could find a way to take advantage of that. Sanders is an important aspect of the Broncos passing attack, averaging just under ten targets per game. If Conley finds a way to limit Sanders’ impact, Oakland’s defense will have a step up on stopping the Denver offense.