'That's just his game': Von Miller, Broncos prepping for Raiders' quick-passing attack

[Miles]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When the Broncos hosted the Raiders in Week 2 of the 2018 regular season, Denver overcame a 12-point deficit and kicked a game-winning field goal with six seconds remaining.


The Raiders built that initial lead for a number of reasons, but perhaps none was as important as this: When Oakland dropped back to pass, the ball hardly ever hit the ground.


Aided by a series of quick passes, Derek Carr finished the game 29-of-32 for 288 yards, a touchdown and a 114.6 quarterback rating.


His 90.6 percent completion percentage was easily the highest of his career, and his accuracy proved troublesome for the Broncos for most of the game.


Carr’s accuracy, coupled with the Raiders’ quick passing game, negated Denver’s pass rush for most of the game. The Broncos recorded just one sack during the game.


And as Von Miller noted Friday ahead of the Broncos’ season opener against the Raiders, there’s not a lot Denver can do to prevent the Raiders from using the same strategy on Monday night.


“You've just got to play great defense,” Miller said. “You've got to play tight coverage, you've got to be aware of quick passes. That's what Derek Carr is known for, getting the ball out quick, getting the ball out accurately. That's just his game. You can't really change it. You've just got to keep rushing and keep playing around and just wait for your open shot.”


When an opponent completes those quick passes, picks up first downs and moves the ball, that sort of game plan can frustrate even the most veteran pass rushers.


“It gets frustrating when throw they the ball quick and they complete it back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back all the way down the field,” Miller said.


But there is a silver lining, as the Broncos found out last September. Many of Carr’s quick passes were also short passes, and the Broncos’ defense held up on third downs. Carr dropped back to throw six times on third down — and converted two of those six attempts. Twice, the Raiders were stopped short of the line to gain. Carr threw an incomplete pass on another attempt and also took a sack. The Raiders finished just 3-of-10 on third down.


“[A] quick pass [that’s] incomplete is not [frustrating],” Miller said. “Quick pass, tipped ball — [that’s] not too frustrating.”


If the Broncos can keep the Raiders’ third-down percentage low on Monday — and, obviously, their point total — Miller and Co. could negate Carr’s ability to control the game.