The Denver Broncos (10-2) have won three consecutive games with Brock Osweiler starting at quarterback, which shouldn't be surprising given how the first seven games of the season went. Osweiler is obviously a far cry from Peyton Manning at the top of his game, but Manning struggled in every game this year, while Denver's defense dominated opposing offenses week-in and week-out.
Raiders vs. Broncos 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Broncos beat the Raiders once this season, but that was with a different quarterback under center.
Denver still hasn't given up more than 24 points in a win this season, and hasn't given up 30 points in any game at all. Both losses saw Manning struggle, especially so in the last game he played on Week 10, when he threw four interceptions against the Kansas City Chiefs. Osweiler replaced Manning in that game, but he couldn't do anything given the huge lead the Chiefs had built up.
Since then, though, Osweiler has led the Broncos to three consecutive wins and he's expected to start when they take on the Oakland Raiders (5-7) on Sunday. Manning has a foot injury, and even when he is healthy again it's unclear if he would retake the starting role.
The Raiders have had some promising wins this season, but they have lost four of their last five games. They are still alive in the AFC playoff race, but they’re well behind the Broncos in the division and their chances at a wild card spot took a huge hit when they lost to the Chiefs in Week 13.
Oakland beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 12, which snapped a three-game losing skid. They're third place in the AFC West, and well behind multiple teams in the wild card race. Quarterback Derek Carr and the young offense have looked solid throughout the season, but defensively, the Raiders haven't been able to consistently stop good offenses. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Broncos were a couple of the teams that beat the Raiders this year.
In the last meeting between these teams in Week 5, Manning completed 22 of 35 passes for 266 yards with no touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. The Broncos didn't score an offensive touchdown, but they managed to pick off Carr late, and Chris Harris took that interception in for a touchdown. Carr threw for 249 yards with a touchdown and the game-killing interception. Neither team rushed for more than 65 yards and there was only one offensive touchdown in the game.
This one could look a lot different, though Denver’s tough defense looks just as good as it did then. Osweiler has played well this year, completing 61.3 percent of his passes for 832 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He isn’t scoring a ton of points, but he’s also making fewer mistakes than Manning did before he was injured.
Backing him up on the ground is Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson, who have combined for over 1,000 rushing yards this season. Hillman has 643 yards, six touchdowns and a 4.1 yards per carry average while Anderson has 538 yards, three touchdowns and a per-carry average of 4.3 yards. Latavius Murray is the top back with the Raiders, with 851 yards, a 4.3 yards per carry average and five touchdowns.
How to watch
When: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, Denver
TV: CBS
Announcers: Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts
Online: NFL Game Pass
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