The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson gives his scouting report for Sunday’s game between the Broncos (10-2) and Raiders (2-10) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Offense

Denver’s offense has looked more fluid recently. Bo Nix threw for 321 yards in last Sunday’s 27-26 overtime win at Washington and his 616 in the previous two games is the most in his career for a two-game stretch. Tight end Evan Engram is coming off his best Broncos game with six catches for 79 yards. The running game still has issues, with RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin trying to make up for J.K. Dobbins’ absence. The Raiders have been a mess all season on offense and rank No. 31 in the NFL in scoring and No. 30 in total offense. Geno Smith is tied for the league lead with 14 interceptions.  Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty hasn’t had the season many expected, having rushed for 635 yards while averaging 3.5 per carry. Tight end Brock Bowers, with 49 catches in nine games, remains one of the Raiders’ few bright spots.

Advantage: Broncos

Defense 

Coordinator Vance Joseph said the Broncos must play better after allowing 419 yards at Washington. Denver is No. 4 in the NFL in points allowed and No. 5 in total defense. Cornerback Pat Surtain II said he was still knocking the rust off against the Commanders after missing three games with a pec injury, so he should be better Sunday. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw is finding his stride and had his first Broncos interception at Washington.  The Raiders played surprisingly well on defense in a 10-7 loss at Denver on Nov. 6. But star defensive end Maxx Crosby, who leads the Raiders with 8.0 sacks, is questionable with a knee injury. Las Vegas has just 22 sacks, with defensive end Malcolm Koonce second on the team with 3.0. Cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly has been a surprise, leading the Raiders with three interceptions while also having a fumble recovery.  

Advantage: Broncos

Coaching 

Two longtime rivals meet in the Broncos’ Sean Payton and the Raiders’ Pete Carroll. Both have won Super Bowls, Payton with New Orleans in the 2009 season and Carroll with Seattle in the 2013 season. Payton, who three times went 13-3 in 15 seasons coaching New Orleans, is seeking to have his best regular-season coaching record in 18 overall years. But Carroll, in his 19^th season as an NFL coach, is all but certain to have his worst record ever. He went 6-10, as in his first season as a head coach with the New York Jets in 1994. With the Broncos on a nine-game winning streak, Payton’s play calling has helped in the winning of seven of them by four points or less. The Raiders, though, have had two losses this season by one point, in addition to the three-point loss last month at Denver.

Advantage: Broncos 

Intangibles 

The Broncos are battling New England (11-2) for the No. 1 AFC playoff seed and a victory would assure they would win a one-on-one tiebreaker with the Patriots based on records against common foes. Denver’s nine-game streak is its longest since an 11-game run in 2012. The Broncos are favored by 7.5 points. They were a nine-point favorite entering last month’s game. It remains to be seen if the closeness of that game will get the Broncos to focus even more or whether it could give the Raiders additional confidence. Since the teams previously played, Las Vegas has replaced offensive coordinator Chip Kelly with Greg Olson and special teams coordinator Tom McMahon with Derius Swinton II. Payton and special teams Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi both say that it resulted in additional game preparation.

Advantage: Broncos