No. 1 – Peyton Manning throws for three touchdowns
As we outlined in No. 3, Jack Del Rio’s defense (by way of Ken Norton Jr.) will be surprisingly aggressive against Denver. They think that getting Manning early (as Del Rio witnessed first-hand in last year’s divisional round), will make him jumpy and thus forcing throws.
Manning will stand up to the pressure better, however, and he’ll have a better idea of what’s coming at him having spent so much time across from 1) the Raiders over the past three years, 2) a Del Rio defense in that same time (if only in practice), and 3) a Seattle-influenced defense the rest of the league is trying to emulate.
It’s clear Manning’s ability to read the play once the snap is off has diminished, but his pre-snap reads remain solid. He’ll be more confident in the pocket and he’s got more trust than ever in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, not to mention that he’s starting to get his timing down with Owen Daniels and guys like Bennie Fowler and Jordan Norwood are prone to have sneaky games. Remember, Oakland’s pass defense is second-worst in the league.
Ronnie Hillman could have a big game yardage-wise, but the scoring will be done with Manning’s right arm.
