#DENvsLV's Burning Questions: Can the Broncos start fast?

[Miles]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It doesn't much matter that the Raiders have traded Oakland for Las Vegas or the storied Oakland Coliseum for the glimmering Allegiant Stadium.


In Head Coach Vic Fangio's mind, this is as much a rivalry as ever.


"Many of the people that I've met out in the community in my short stay here always variably sometimes get to talking about the rivalry versus the Raiders," Fangio said. "If you have a rivalry, it doesn't matter where you're playing. You could be playing on the sandlot field —it's still a rivalry."


That rivalry has been reflected in recent results, as the teams have split their last 10 matchups since the start of the 2015 season. Yet for as even as the rivalry has been — the Raiders have just a plus-9 point differential in the last 10 meetings — the road has not been kind to the Broncos. Denver has won just two AFC West road games since the end of the 2015 season, and they haven't beaten the Raiders away from Denver since Chris Harris Jr. returned an interception for a touchdown in 2015.


The Broncos will look to shift their fortunes on Sunday as they travel for the first time to Las Vegas looking to improve to 4-5 on the season.


After a tough loss in Atlanta, this game is one the Broncos desperately need to win to remain in a crowded wild-card race.


These are the questions that will decide if Denver can bounce back and earn a win inSin City:


CAN THE BRONCOS START FAST?


Of all the questions we try to answer today, this will undoubtedly be the most important. Over the last two weeks, the Broncos have scored just six total first-half points, and they've posted just two first-half touchdowns all season with Drew Lock under center. And while Denverraced back furiously against both the Chargers and Falcons — scoring 21 fourth-quarter points against each opponent — the Broncos know they won't be able to find consistent success by falling into double-digit deficits.


The Broncos clearly know the issue at hand. How they fix it is another matter. Whether the Broncos go up-tempo or work at a deliberate pace, Denver must improve its early execution, particularly on first down. The Broncos have struggled to pick up meaningful yardage on first down, which has led to long third downs that the Broncos have been unable to convert. To improve in that area, the Broncos must improve in the running game. Against the Falcons, Denver posted just one rushing yard in the first quarter.


"I think it's fair to say we need to get more out of our running game early," Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur said Friday. "That helps you. I ran a lot of naked [bootlegs] and [quarterback] keeps, which Drewexecuted well. I think he throws the ball well on the run, and there are teams that allow you to do that. There are other teams that don't, so that was good, but to score early in the game, we just have to be on point and be better. Then, I do like — part of my training was from the tempo world, so I do like playing fast. I think we've developed a pretty good system for doing it later in the game, whether it's two-minute or you're just try to play faster, no huddle, and we do that well. We'll just have to see what works, but I think it's fair to say we need to get more out of the running game early and I think that'll help us."


Then, when the Broncos have opportunities, they must take advantage. Whether due to errors in protection, a poor throw, a missed running lane, a dropped pass or the lack of a penalty flag, Denver was unable to convert chances into points.


"It was the same old song and dance," Lock said Wednesday. "There was a couple plays that could have kept us on the field. We found ourselves in long third downs. They were dropping eight [defenders] on those long third downs and forcing us to check it down and getting us off the field. They came at us early and we didn't make those little plays that they were making."