The Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders look like teams heading in opposite directions heading into Monday night's AFC West matchup in Denver (ABC, 8:30 ET).

Everything appears to lean in the favor of the Broncos (6-2), who are tied with San Diego for the division lead and are playing terrific football. They are coming off a bye week in which they could get players healthy, but before that they won two straight road games against Kansas City and New England.

Plus, I've always believed that Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan is one of the NFL's best designers of offense. And with the bye week, Shanahan and his coaching staff had an extra week's time to prepare Denver's game plan.

Meanwhile, the Raiders (4-4) are in turmoil. After they started out 4-0 and looked like the best team in football, they have seen how quickly things change, losing their last four games. The Raiders seem to be a team on the verge of a mutiny. They have to find a way to stop the bleeding and get a win before they fall to the bottom of the division.

The matchup almost looks like a worst-case scenario for the Raiders -- going to Denver for a Monday night game with a ton of problems. Since the Broncos appear to have a tremendous advantage, we will find out what kind of character and heart the Raiders have.

Five Keys for the Raiders
1. Garner must get 20 touches: It doesn't matter if Charlie Garner rushes 20 times or runs 15 times and catches five passes; the Oakland running back must get at least 20 touches. If he gets involved in the Raiders' offense, it will open things up for the wide receivers and make Oakland a little more two-dimensional.

2. Get the vertical game going: The Raiders have been a horizontal passing team. Eighty percent of their throws have been 10 yards or less from the line of scrimmage. They have not attacked down the field. The receiver they must count on to stretch the field is Jerry Porter, who is being used a lot more in the slot. The Raiders can get a favorable matchup with Porter in the slot.

3. Tackle better: It seems almost crazy to think that a key to the game will be tackling, one of the fundamentals of football. But the Raiders have not tackled well. While defensive tackles John Parrella and Sam Adams have played well inside, the Raiders have struggled on the edges.

4. Pressure Griese: The Raiders must get people in Brian Griese's face, especially on third down. Against the Patriots on third down, the Broncos' quarterback was eight-for-eight for 113 yards, making some terrific throws. The Raiders, however, can break him down if they can get people around him.

5. Romo vs. Sharpe: Bill Romanowski must win his matchup on Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe. As the strong-side linebacker, Romo has to jam Sharpe and not allow him clean releases into his routes. If Sharpe gets a free release, he will put too much pressure on the Raiders' secondary and open everyone else up. Romo has the huge responsibility of taking Sharpe out of the Denver game plan -- and they are certainly well-acquainted with one another.

Five Keys for the Broncos
1. Defend the field horizontally: This key plays well into what the Broncos do, because their linebackers are as fast and quick as any group of linebackers in the NFL. The Raiders like to throw the ball sideline to sideline, no more than 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. It's imperative that the Broncos defend that area of the field.

2. Derail the DTs: The interior of the Broncos' offensive line -- with guards Dan Neil and Steve Herndon and center Ben Hamilton -- must do a good job on Parrella and Adams. Defensively, the Raiders play well on the inside runs, but they get beaten on the edges. The Broncos not only need balance between run and pass, but also balance between running inside and outside so they can't allow the Raiders' linebackers to fast-flow to the ball.

3. Protect Griese: He is a plant-and-throw quarterback. He enjoys a comfort level in the pocket and the ability to step up and throw with a cushion. The Broncos have to protect Griese, particularly against inside pressure.

4. Offensive versatility: The Broncos must use a lot of formation variation, motion and shifting of personnel packages. The Raiders have made a lot of mental mistakes in the first half of the season. By continually changing their packages and looks, the Broncos can get some big plays when the Raiders make mistakes.

5. Establish the run: The running game has always been the foundation of the Broncos' offense. Historically, their big plays come off play-action passing. If they establish the run with Clinton Portis, they can disorient the Raiders' defense and Shanahan can manufacture points through the play-action passing game.

Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski, who played 15 seasons with the Rams, Eagles, Dolphins and Chiefs, is an analyst on "Edge NFL Matchup" and "Monday NFL Countdown."