Schlereth: Broncos better football team than Raiders, likes matchup
Sep 12, 2018, 10:07 AM | Updated: 2:38 pm
Heading into the first of two Raiders weeks this season, Mark Schlereth said on Wednesday he feels confident in the Denver Broncos to come away with a win against Oakland.
The “Schlereth and Evans” co-host said he likes the Broncos’ matchup and that Denver’s a better squad on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
“I like the Broncos in this matchup, no question,” Schlereth said. “After watching the Raiders film, I just think the Broncos are a better football team on both sides of the ball.”
Specifically, Schlereth said the game “plays pretty well into the Broncos hands” because Denver should be able to run the ball and take advantage with play action.
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In the Raiders home loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, Oakland allowed 108 yards on the ground to L.A. running back Todd Gurley on just 20 attempts, which opened up the play-action game for Jared Goff to the tune of two touchdowns and 233 yards through the air.
“All the Rams did was they ran weak zone and strong-side gap. They ran two plays the entirety of the whole game,” Schlereth said. “And the Raiders just kept giving up 4 yards, 6 yards, 8 yards a chunk on a constant basis.”
Defensively, Schlereth said the Broncos will be able to handle the outside threat from Pro Bowler Amari Cooper.
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On Tuesday, however, “Stokley and Zach” co-host Brandon Stokley said Denver needs to be vigilant with Oakland tight end Jared Cook, who was Derek Carr’s main target against Los Angeles. Cook turned in a nine-reception, 180-yard night against the Rams.
“Obviously, the Broncos struggles recently of covering tight ends, you’ve got to pay attention to Jared Cook,” Stokley said.
In a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the Broncos gave up 105 yards and a touchdown to tight end Will Dissly.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
