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Sunday Night Football, week 9. Tonight we have an AFC West showdown in Oakland, California. The 6-2 Denver Broncos travel to the Oakland Coliseum to take on the 6-2 Oakland Raiders. First place in the division is on the line. The Broncos are led by the NFL's best pass defense. The Broncos have given up more than 190 yards through the air only twice this season, and have yet to surrender more than 23 points in a game. On offense the Broncos feature stopgap quarterback Trevor Siemian, who is widely viewed as a bridge to eventual starter Paxton Lynch. Siemian throws to star receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
The Raiders counter with one of the league's best passing offenses, led by star quarterback Derek Carr, who has tossed 17 touchdowns with only three interceptions this year. Carr likes to throw to receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. The Raiders have scored 28 or more points in six of their eight games this year.
This game sets up as a classic clash of offense vs. defense. The Raiders can score in bunches but can't stop opposing teams. The Broncos are scoring challenged but can stop anybody. Which will prevail in the battle for first place in the AFC West, the Broncos' defense or the Raiders' offense?