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Broncos look for third straight win against Raiders

Nov 18, 2008 - 8:42 PM OAKLAND (2-8) AT DENVER (6-4), 4:05 pm EST

DENVER (Ticker) -- The Denver Broncos have seemingly generated sparks at the right time.

Looking to tighten their grip on the AFC West and extend their winning streak to three games, the Broncos host the lowly Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

Denver is coming off an impressive 24-20 victory against the Atlanta Falcons this past week, padding their lead in the division to two games over the second-place San Diego Chargers (4-6).

Jay Cutler completed 19-of-27 attempts and passed for 216 yards, throwing one touchdown. Recording a 106.4 passer rating, Cutler avoided throwing an interception for just the third game this season. The Broncos are 9-0 in Cutler's career when he has a 100.0-plus rating.

Oddly enough, the Broncos have been outscored, 271-248, this season. They have been edged in total points only twice in head coach Mike Shanahan's 13 campaigns in Denver. Their records in those two years were 7-9 last season and 6-10 in 1999.

After losing seven fumbles and throwing eight interceptions in a recent five-game stretch, Denver's offense has only one turnover in the past two games.

The Broncos have also boosted their run defense. Against the Falcons, they held Atlanta's Michael Turner, who entered as the NFL's third-leading rusher, to 81 yards on 25 carries.

"When you're playing the type of rush defense that we were playing for three or four games, you've got to make a decision what direction to go and take a chance on injuries and get better," Shanahan said. "I think we have."

Meanwhile, Oakland continues to fizzle under coach Tom Cable, who took over for Lane Kiffin on September 30.

Since Kiffin's firing, the Raiders have scored just 50 points and have not recorded an offensive touchdown in their last three contests.

"Sooner or later, we have to put together a total team win," Oakland running back Justin Fargas said. "Right now, the defense is playing well, the special teams is coming through. We have to pick up our side of it."

Oakland will need more production from second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell if it plans on snapping a four-game losing skid.

Russell completed 15-of-22 attempts for only 157 yards and did not throw a touchdown in the Raiders' 17-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins last week.

The Raiders finished with 186 total yards - the second time in their last three games held to under 200 yards - and Cable fell to 1-5 as their head coach.

The fourth overall pick in April's draft, Darren McFadden played for the first time in four games after nursing a toe injury that has hampered him most of the season. He recorded just 13 yards on three carries, while the Raiders gained just 70 yards on the ground.

The Raiders fell to the Broncos, 41-14, in the first week of the season in Oakland.