Denver Broncos: 3 Takeaways vs. Raiders in Week 4
By Bruce Matson
2. Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper
Not only did the Broncos defense get the opportunity to make Marshawn Lynch look obsolete, but they also got the chance to shutdown one of the best wide receivers in the league. Amari Cooper came into this game being billed as one of the top up and coming wide receiver prospects in the NFL, but the Broncos did not buy into that narrative, leaving him with just two catches for nine yards while leading the Raiders with eight targets.
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The Broncos have one of the most stingiest secondaries in the league, allowing just 203.3 passing yards per game. Aqib Talib and Chris Harris have been rock solid and the safeties, Justin Simmons and Darian Stewart, are also very stout in coverage.
Cooper was not himself in this game, dropping passes and making key mistakes, hurting the Raiders passing offense. It didn’t help that Derek Carr was knocked out of the game. However, if he wants to be considered one of the top wide receivers in the leagues, he will need to step up when his team needs him most, which didn’t happen in this game.
With just a few minutes left int he game, Justin Simmons was able to beat Cooper at the catch point to come down with a big interception to allow the Broncos to run out the clock and finalize the game. Denver’s defense can shut down any wide receiver in the league and they did just that against the Oakland Raiders by stifling Cooper to just nine yards receiving.