Oakland offense vs. Denver defense

	RAIDERS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	3
	Pass	11
	Tot. Yds.	5
	Scoring	14
	Int's allowed	6
	Sacks allowed	27
	BRONCOS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	14
	vs. Pass	9
	Total yds. allowed	8
	# of Ints.	11
	# of Sacks	30
	Turnover differential	-17

The determining factor in the Raiders' fortunes is offensive balance. With QB Rich Gannon and RB Tyrone Wheatley on the mend, coach Jon Gruden's club will be very difficult for the Broncos to game plan against.

In last week's win over San Diego, Gannon logged his most efficient game of the season, completing 18-of-24 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns. With his wrist no longer an issue, Gannon is able make plays without having to protect himself, especially in roll-out and escape situations. In the Week 5 meeting against the Broncos, Gannon rallied his team in the second-half but an interception cost them a chance for a late win. Gannon spread the ball around to ten different receivers in that meeting but look for the Raiders to have a more narrow focus on Monday night.

Over the past four weeks, Oakland has run their passing game almost exclusively through WR Tim Brown. Although they can't ignore Brown, the Raiders must make WR James Jett and TE Rickey Dudley more integral parts of the offense. Last Sunday, Seattle's Joey Galloway beat FS George Coghill for a couple of big plays so look for the Raiders to use motion and formation variation to get Jett locked on the new starter. Coghill will make his first start this week in place of leading tackler Eric Brown, who went down against Seattle with a sprained knee.

The Raiders used WR/DC Charles Woodson on four offensive plays against the Chargers and he was impressive turning a short hitch route into a 19-yard gain. Offensive coordinator Bill Callahan must make sure not to let Woodson's talent distract him from his normal game plan. Last week, a fake reverse to Woodson inside the 10-yard line resulted in a sack that would have been costly had the game been more competitive.

Expect the Raiders to add a new wrinkle this week when they implement a three-receiver set featuring Woodson, Brown, and Jett. With Coghill manning the deep third of the field, the Raiders would be wise to run as many long routes as possible to take advantage of his marginal instincts in coverage.

Regardless of how well Gannon is playing, the Raiders will continue to hammer the ball inside with Wheatley. Denver, led by Al Wilson's team-high nine tackles, held Oakland to just 55 yards on 24 carries (2.3 avg.) six weeks ago. If Wheatley continues to run as hard as he did last Sunday, it should cause the Broncos to pinch inside, which in turn creates room on the edges for Napoleon Kaufman to break outside.

The Broncos must be aware of Wheatley slipping out into the flat, as he did on two touchdown receptions against San Diego. The Chargers had difficulty bringing him down once he was in the open field because their OLB's did not diagnose the play quick enough. Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson must stress communication among his front seven on Sunday to prevent the same thing happening to his unit.

A big concern for the Broncos heading into Monday's game is the health of OT's Matt Lepsis and Trey Teague, who each suffered knee injuries against Seattle. The Broncos will be fine if one of the two can play because the team is confident that 11-year veteran Melvin Tuten can carry out most assignments.

Unlike the last meeting, Oakland should be able to generate a strong pass rush against this banged up unit, especially off the edges with DE's Lance Johnstone and Tony Bryant, who have combined for 8.5 sacks. The Raiders have been putting consistent heat on the quarterback but they need to start finishing with sacks -- something they have had trouble doing of late. If he is pressured, Miller has enough awareness and mobility to improvise outside the pocket.

Miller's go-to guy the past two weeks has been WR Rod Smith, who led the team with seven receptions and a touchdown in Week 5. Smith and Ed McCaffrey have been very consistent but this team desperately needs to get a third receiver involved, particularly TE Byron Chamberlain. Miller has yet to throw Chamberlain's way but he will be forced to go underneath if the Raiders get people in his face. MLB Greg Biekert, who appeared lost in coverage earlier in the season, is beginning to play much more consistently over the tight end and should provide a good test for Chamberlain.

Defensive coordinator Willie Shaw does an excellent job of preparing his unit for any scenario, as witnessed by their outstanding effort in RB Olandis Gary's first start. At that time, Gary would have snuck up on a lot of teams but the Raiders held him to just 64 yards on 20 carries -- his lowest yardage output of the season. Oakland's run defense is playing its best football of the season, holding teams to just 86.1 points per game. Aside from Miller, the rest of the Broncos totaled only 67 yards on the ground against Seattle because the offensive line was simply were getting beat at the point of attack.