RAIDERS TODAY

<p><b>BRONCOS AT RAIDERS</p><p>WHERE: </b>Oakland Coliseum</p><p><b>WHEN: </b> 1:15 p.m.</p><p><b>TV: </b> none</p><p><b>RADIO: </b> KSFO 560-AM</p><p><b>THE LINE:</b> Broncos by 2 (36 total)</p><p><b>THE SERIES: </b> The Raiders lead 55-41-2 in their now-50-year-old series. The teams have split games the past two seasons.</p><p><b>LAST MEETING: </b> The Raiders broke a four-game losing streak and avenged a season-opening blowout loss by downing the Broncos 31-10 at INVESCO Field in Denver on Nov. 23, 2008. Wide receiver Ashley Lelie, who forced a trade out of Denver in 2006, burned his old team by catching a touchdown pass and setting up another with an acrobatic 51-yard catch. Darren McFadden scored on a pair of 1-yard touchdowns.</p><p><b>INJURY REPORT</p><p>Raiders — </b> LG Robert Gallery (fibula), WR Chaz Schilens (foot), WR Nick Miller (shin) are out; FS Hiram Eugene (calf) is doubtful; CB Nnamdi Asomugha (wrist), DE Richard Seymour (knee), LB Kirk Morrison (elbow), WR Johnnie Lee Higgins (shoulder) are probable.</p><p><b>Broncos —</b> LB Spencer Larsen (shoulder) is out; WR Brandon Stokley (thigh), RB Knowshon Moreno (groin), DE Le Kevin Smith (knee) are questionable; QB Kyle Orton (finger), G Ben Hamilton (hamstring), LB Mario Haggan (knee), G Chris Kuper (ankle), WR Jabar Gaffney (finger), S Josh Barrett (shoulder) are probable.</p><p><b>SPOTTING TRENDS</p><p>RAIDERS (1-1): </b> So far in 2009, the three-headed monster in the Raiders’ backfield has been missing a head. The team supposedly had a luxury of talent with elusive Darren McFadden, burly Michael Bush and fearless Justin Fargas, but Fargas has yet to play this season. The explanation, according to coach Tom Cable, is that injuries have forced him to use backup runner Louis Rankin as a kickoff returner, so he hasn’t had room for Fargas on the roster. This week, though, the coach said he needs Fargas’ intensity and violent running style, and plans to activate him. Before he became a relied-upon runner, Fargas was a pretty good special-teams player. So far this year, McFadden leads the Raiders with 103 yards on 29 carries. Since halftime of the Chargers game, though, he has found the going tough — 16 attempts for 41 yards, a 2.6-yard average.</p><p><b>BRONCOS (2-0): </b> The good news for the Broncos is that they are 2-0, a strong start in what is perceived to be a weak division. The bad news: the two wins came against bottom-feeders Cincinnati (on a last-minute miracle play) and Cleveland, and the schedule is about to get a lot harder, with consecutive games against Dallas, New England, San Diego (followed by a bye), Baltimore and Pittsburgh. No one is sure yet whether the offense installed by new coach Josh McDaniels can score consistently. The Broncos jettisoned franchise QB Jay Cutler in the offseason, trading him to Chicago after he got into a spat with McDaniels. His replacement, Kyle Orton, has yet to throw an interception, but hasn’t gotten much production from supposed top receivers Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, who have combined for 99 yards in two games.</p><p><b>QUOTE TO NOTE</b> </p><p>“I think almost all of them have periods of it. Ours just happens to be lower than the low that any of us want. The percentage, the number is no good. We’ve got to do something about that.”</p><p>— Oakland passing game coordinator Ted Tollner on JaMarcus Russell’s completion percentage of 35.2.</p><p><b>KEY MATCHUPS</p><p>LT Mario Henderson vs. OLB Elvis Dumervil </b> </p><p>The low-centered Dumervil had four sacks against the Browns last week. Henderson is part of the plan to prevent that from happening this week.</p><p><b>CB Stanford Routt vs. WR Brandon Stokley</b> </p><p>Routt has struggled this season in slot coverage, and he faces a wily adversary in Stokley.</p><p><b>LG Erik Pears vs. DE Kenny Peterson</b> </p><p>Pears, the former Bronco, gets his first start for the Raiders — and his first NFL start at guard — as he fills in for the injured Robert Gallery.</p><p><b>THE RAIDERS WILL WIN IF ... </b> </p><p>Richard Seymour, Greg Ellis and company can pressure Orton into some turnovers.</p><p><b>THE BRONCOS WILL WIN IF ... </b> </p><p>JaMarcus and his young wide receivers continue to struggle making downfield connections.</p>