5 things to watch when the Raiders face the Broncos on Sunday

The Raiders and Broncos had strong playoff aspirations after each starting the season 2-0. Ten weeks later, they meet in Oakland after firing coordinators in the same week.

John Pagano will be calling plays for the Raiders on Sunday against the Broncos after the team fired former defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.

Oakland is familiar with the Broncos’ new offensive coordinator, Bill Musgrave, who replaced Mike McCoy. Musgrave was the Raiders’ offensive coordinator during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Both teams are headed in the wrong direction, with the Broncos (3-7) losing six straight games and the Raiders (4-6) having arguably the worst defense in the NFL.

The Broncos defeated the Raiders 16-10 in Week 4. Here are five things you need to know about Denver:

1. Denver made a quarterback change for the second time this season. The Broncos pulled the plug on Brock Osweiler’s return for second-year quarterback Paxton Lynch. The 2016 first-round pick lost the quarterback competition to Trevor Siemian during the preseason. Now Lynch probably will get his final audition as the team’s QB of the future with Musgrave calling the plays. Lynch was inactive the first 10 weeks of the season with a shoulder sprain. This could be the perfect game for Lynch to get off to a hot start because the Raiders’ secondary is posting historically bad numbers.

2. A sobbing C.J. Anderson blamed himself for the Broncos’ sixth straight loss after a costly fourth-quarter fumble versus the Bengals last week. It’s been a frustrating period for the Super Bowl 50 champions, especially on the running backs, who have struggled to rush the ball. Musgrave could incorporate Devontae Booker more into the offense. Booker had a better game than Anderson against the Bengals.

3. The Broncos once arguably had the best pass rush in the NFL. That’s not the case anymore, even with Von Miller and Derek Wolfe still on the team. But even with the Broncos’ struggles, they’re still ranked fourth against the run, giving up 85.5 yards per game. This could be a tough matchup for the Raiders’ Marshawn Lynch, who has failed to produce this season.

4. Like the front seven, the Broncos’ secondary also was once considered the best in the league. Tom Brady and Carson Wentz have carved up the “No Fly Zone” in recent weeks. But Derek Carr and the Raiders’ offense haven’t done much this season. This could be a bounce-back game for the Broncos’ defensive backs, who have missed T.J. Ward at safety. Raiders wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper against Broncos cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. was once must-watch TV.

5. The Raiders’ banged up defensive backs will match up against Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, who has caught a touchdown pass in three straight games. The Raiders were forced to put rookie safety Obi Melifonwu against the Patriots’ Brandin Cooks last week, which was a big mistake. Melifonwu might need to defend Sanders if the Raiders don’t have healthy bodies at cornerback.

Gilbert Manzano covers the NFL for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.