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Raiders-Broncos Preview

Oct 22, 2010 - 10:21 PM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

While the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders are both two games under .500, struggles by the rest of the AFC West mean neither team can be considered out of the playoff race.

Playing their first divisional matchup Sunday, the Broncos look to avoid a third straight home loss to the Raiders, who may be starting third-string quarterback Kyle Boller.

Denver (2-4) has stumbled over the first six weeks of the season against some of the better competition in the NFL. After a 31-17 loss at Baltimore on Oct. 10, the Broncos gave up a late touchdown in a 24-20 defeat to the New York Jets last Sunday.

New York took the lead with 1:13 remaining, scoring after a 46-yard pass interference penalty on Renaldo Hill, and Denver's last-ditch drive ended on a bad snap by rookie J.D. Walton.

Despite the loss, the Broncos' 32nd-ranked running game rushed for a season-high 145 yards as Denver outgained the Jets.

"I'm not scared to say it: I think we outplayed them," linebacker Mario Haggan said. "They just had one more punch than we did and obviously it was decided by a technical."

Denver, which is the only AFC team yet to play against its own division, is hoping to take advantage of the struggles of the rest of the AFC West to get back into the playoff race. Three teams are tied with 2-4 records behind 3-2 Kansas City.

"There's opportunity," coach Josh McDaniels said. "I wouldn't use the word 'encouraged.' ... I think it still comes down to what we're going to do."

McDaniels said the Broncos hope to begin expanding the use of rookie quarterback Tim Tebow. The first-round draft pick has yet to throw a pass but ran for 23 yards and his first NFL touchdown last weekend.

While Kyle Orton isn't in danger of losing his job, having passed for the second-most yards in the NFL at 1,942, Denver would like to vary how Tebow is used in its offensive system.

"We're going to continue to push that a little bit and see what happens with it," McDaniels said. "Now, everybody's kind of seen us do different things from it and we've got to try to find a way to be creative and see how far we can take it and continue to make it productive."

Meanwhile, Oakland's passing game continues to face adversity after a 17-9 loss to San Francisco last Sunday.

The Raiders (2-4) finished with a season-worst 179 total yards as Jason Campbell went 8 of 21 for 83 yards and two interceptions. Campbell's 10.7 passer rating was the worst for a Raiders quarterback since Ken Stabler posted a 9.9 against Cincinnati in 1975.

Campbell, who was starting in place of Bruce Gradkowski (shoulder), suffered a sprained left knee in the loss, leading to the possibility that Boller could start this week.

Campbell's knee is improving and he is expected to be able to start if he has no setbacks. Coach Tom Cable said the final decision on whether Campbell can start will likely be made just before game time.

Boller appeared in seven games last season with St. Louis, throwing for 899 yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions. He showed promise during the preseason, completing 26 of 43 passes for 360 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 102.9 passer rating.

"I've pretty much stayed on top of it over the last six weeks and that's part of your job," Boller said. "Doesn't matter if you're a starter, second-stringer or third-stringer. You have to always be into the game plan and doing just the same things the starter's doing so I don't think I'll miss a beat."

If under center, Boller would be responsible for an Oakland offense that has seen its overall yardage decrease every game since Week 2. Last week's performance was the offense's worst since Oct. 11, 2009, when the Raiders totaled 124 yards in a 44-7 loss to the Giants.

"I think the plays are there," Cable said. "I think it shows up on film that they were there, but we're just not executing, whether it's a throw or whether it's a route."

The Raiders have lost four straight and 13 of 18 on the road, but two wins during that stretch came at Denver, including a 20-19 victory on Dec. 20.