To renew rivalry with Broncos

The rivalry between the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders is gathering steam again after years of one-sided victories in the Broncos' favour.

Both teams are 6-2 and tied atop the AFC West heading into Sunday's marquee contest in Oakland, the 111th meeting between the division foes.

Denver has regularly gotten the better of the Raiders in recent years, winning eight of the last nine games since 2011.

But the host Raiders have served notice that they are a different team this season behind quarterback Derek Carr.

The 25-year-old from Fresno, California is leading a dynamic offence that is averaging 401 yards per game.

In last week's overtime win over Tampa Bay, Carr became the third player in National Football League history to throw for at least 500 yards passing (513), four touchdowns and zero interceptions in a game.

"He's playing at a really high level," Broncos linebacker Shane Ray said.

"With all the talk that's been going around the league, with how he's been playing and his number of pass attempts through the game, he's a quarterback that you definitely have to have pressure on or he'll pick you apart.

"They've been a really good balanced team as far as running the ball and passing the ball. Derek Carr is definitely making an impression on the league right now."

The Raiders and their high-octane offence face a huge test against a Broncos' defence that already has shown its mettle against some of the best quarterbacks in the league, including Carolina's Cam Newton, Indianapolis' Andrew Luck and San Diego's Philip Rivers.

But Carr has helped turn Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree into one of the most feared receiving tandems in the league. Cooper had 12 catches for 173 yards against Tampa Bay and Crabtree has six touchdown catches, tied for the league lead.

"He's doing some good things this year," Broncos safety T.J. Ward said of Carr. "He seems to have a handle of the entire offence and his receivers are catching some great passes from him. They're clicking right now."

Carr can't take the Broncos' defence for granted. Denver leads the league in sacks with 26 and they had three interceptions last week against San Diego, including one that cornerback Bradley Roby returned 49 yards for a touchdown.

Saturday's only game features a key NFC East contest between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.

The Eagles (4-3) travel to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey as both squads will be looking to gain ground on first place Dallas in the crowded East.

The Eagles have lost three games on the road and are still in search of a division win.

Philadelphia's rookie quarterback Carson Wentz has completed 65 percent of his passes, but the majority of his passes are of the short variety. He is only averaging 6.69 yards per pass, mostly due to poor pass protection. Wentz has been sacked 15 times.

- Hot hand -

Dallas owner Jerry Jones has indicated he may opt to stick with the hot hand in quarterback Dak Prescott no matter when incumbent starter Tony Romo returns to health.

Prescott has guided the NFC East-leading Cowboys (6-1) to the best record in the conference, heading into Sunday's matchup with the winless Cleveland Browns.

Prescott is not letting the vote of confidence from the boss go to his head though.

"I just worry about the chemistry this team has and what it's doing right now," he said.

"We go out there and put our best effort out there. That's my mindset: Take it one day at a time."

Source: AFP