The Denver Broncos open up 2019 on the road against the Raiders but which players from the Mile High City need to have big games on Monday Night Football?
The Joe Flacco era officially begins on Monday Night Football for the Denver Broncos. New head coach Vic Fangio and his team will head to Oakland to take on the Raiders in the final game of Week 1. And after the week that the Raiders have endured, the Broncos appear to be heavy favorites against their AFC West rivals.
Optimism around the Broncos this season stems around Fangio taking over. When Denver has been at their best, they’ve been a defensive-minded group that controls the clock on offense. Their defensive personnel remains exceptionally strong and they have an offense with Flacco, running back Phillip Lindsay and a nice wide receiver corps that could be effective.
Meanwhile, the Raiders are coming off of a turbulent week that culminated in the release of wide receiver Antonio Brown. That’s a move that will very much lessen their chances to win and leaves their offense, which was supposed to be their strength, lacking in a big way. Advantage, Broncos.
Even still, these three players need to step up for the Denver Broncos for them to dominate against their divisional foes.
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3. DaeSean Hamilton, WR
Expect the Denver Broncos to run the ball a ton in their Week 1 matchup. The Raiders run defense figures to be suspect and Phillip Lindsay was a breakout star for Denver last season. When they do look for Joe Flacco to throw the ball, though, No. 3 wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton could be in store for a big game.
Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton are Denver’s top two wide receiver options but that leaves Hamilton free to move around and be a versatile piece. And given the Raiders shallow depth at cornerback, he should face favorable matchups throughout the night. He needs to exploit those matchups for Denver to really make a statement on the road against Oakland.
2. Shelby Harris, DT
There is little question about how Oakland’s offense is going to operate without Brown in the mix — and maybe even if he still was. Everything about Gruden screams that this is an old-school team, meaning they’re going to ride rookie running back Josh Jacobs heavily throughout the game. That means the interior of the Broncos defensive line, particularly Shelby Harris, need to be ready to roll.
Bradley Chubb and Von Miller will be near uncontainable against the Raiders but for Denver to be at their best, Harris needs to be consistently effective. He was a standout in the preseason, creating pressure and collapsing holes often. Now that it’s the regular season, though, the Broncos need him to continue being that type of presence.
1. Dalton Risner, OG
Arguably the two best players on the Raiders defense both play on the interior of the defensive line, Maurice Hurst and Johnathan Hankins. While Ronald Leary is a proven veteran for the Broncos at guard, Dalton Risner will be playing in his first regular-season NFL game and will be put to the test when matched up against these two players.
Despite the fact that the Broncos need and should get a big game from Hamilton, the running game remains the most critical part of their offense. Subsequently, Risner needs to show out in his NFL debut by handling his matchup against Hurst and/or Hankins and keep the interior clean throughout Monday night.