Lowell Cohn: Raiders get their chance on a big stage

It’s rare when the issue is so clear. And the game between the Raiders and Broncos, the game that gives one team preeminence in the AFC West, has the clarity of crystal.

This game, enormously important in the world of football, comes down to the Raiders’ offense against Denver’s defense. Period. End of story. The whole show.

The goal for each team? Take away the strength of the opponent. The team that does that wins. That’s the issue in a nutshell.

What do these strengths amount to?

The Raiders rank fourth in the NFL in pass offense. They average 285 yards per game. That’s very high. Last week, quarterback Derek Carr set a Raiders single-game record when he threw for 513 yards. That’s a lot of yards.

So, the Raiders, especially in the air, are almost an unstoppable force. Denver, obviously, wants to make the unstoppable force stoppable, wants to impose “stoppability” into the game.

Denver would do that with its defense. What a defense.

The Broncos allow the fewest passing yards of any team in the NFL - 184 yards per game, to be exact. Miniscule. Unspeakable. Hardly sporting of them. There ought to be a law against that defense.

Which means two preeminent units are going head to head when the Raiders’ offense faces the Broncos’ defense. Which means something’s got to give. Which means this is one heck of a game.

Sign me up.

The Raiders have a great quarterback in the making, Carr, and two elite wide receivers, Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Except the Broncos don’t think Cooper and Crabtree are so elite. Denver safety T.J. Ward said, “I feel like they have two good receivers. I don’t think they have two elite receivers.”

Ward meant the Broncos can handle Cooper and Crabtree - remains to be seen. How the Denver secondary matches up against Oakland receivers is a major subplot. Could decide the game. Denver’s secondary is very good.

Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is in love with man coverage. Challenges receivers at the line of scrimmage. Will have his guys bump Crabtree at the line and deny him a free release down the field. Interrupt his rhythm and timing at the get-go. Slow him down - he’s not fast to begin with.

And there’s the Broncos’ pass rush. They have great rushers off the edge who don’t let the quarterback sit there and eat a buffet.

We’re talking about Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. Hold onto your hats - or your helmets. The Raiders have to be staunch in pass protection. Have to stop those predators. Have to use backs to protect Carr. Have to get the ball out of Carr’s hands early with short passes and speed screens to nullify Ware and Miller. Give Carr confidence in the pocket.

And there’s something else. This is important, so pay attention. The Raiders have to make Miller and Ware play run defense. Big key this one. Those two don’t want to play run defense. They want a superhighway to the quarterback and they want sacks. The Raiders have to make them think run so they’re not always thinking pass rush.

The Raiders have to run at Ware and Miller. It is harder for Ware and Miller to defend the run than attack a passive setting. Defending the run wears them down, makes them sore. Beats them up. Takes away their juice in the pass rush. This is a basic theme of football and this game.

If the Raiders run well, they can win. But let’s be honest here. The Raiders live dangerously. Another major theme.

They get called for a million penalties. In their last game against Tampa Bay, they were assessed 23 penalties, a league record. Those 23 don’t account for offsetting penalties or penalties the Bucs declined. The Raiders had a very penalty day.

Here’s what that means. The Raiders had to - and probably will have to - overcome a ton of penalties.

When the offense commits the penalties, those are lots of yards it has to gain back. They lose what they gained on the play, and then they lose the yardage of the penalty. Bad strategy.

Think of the Raiders running a high-hurdle race. Their hurdles are higher than everyone else’s. Their hurdles are their penalties. They themselves increase their own degree of difficulty. Eventually, the Raiders will find an opponent who won’t allow them to overcome their mistakes. Denver could be that defense.

Final point. Big point. Make a note of this one. The reigning Super Bowl champ Broncos are used to playing hallmark games. This is a hallmark game. For the Raiders this stage is huge - Sunday night football, the only game the country is watching. This is the Raiders’ biggest stage in more than a decade. The game is immense for Oakland.

How will the Raiders respond?

Jack Del Rio’s biggest concern is to calm his players so they’re not over-amped at the start. This goes double for Carr. An over-amped team commits penalties for unnecessary roughness and late hits, stuff like that.

A win is a big deal, increases the Raiders’ self-confidence exponentially. Gives players and coaches the belief they’re for real, allows them to bask in the victory glow during the bye week. A loss? I don’t have to spell that out for you.

About now, I’m supposed to pick a winner. I’m smart enough to know I’m not smart enough to pick a winner in this one. Could come down to a late field goal. That close.

For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, go to the Cohn Zohn at cohn.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.