Raiders vs. Broncos: Three must-know storylines for Thursday's Week 10 prime-time game

The Denver Broncos lead the AFC West by one game over the Los Angeles Chargers and two games over the Kansas City Chiefs. Denver hopes it can increase that lead -- and extend its win streak to seven games -- on Thursday against the last-place Las Vegas Raiders.

The Broncos have lived a bit dangerously through their six-game win streak, winning four by one score and often needing big fourth quarters to rescue them. But the last time they were this hot? The 2015 season, which ended in the Broncos hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl 50.

The Raiders have only won once since Week 1, dropping a heartbreaker Sunday in overtime to the Jaguars. The continued return of tight end Brock Bowers might be their biggest chance to pull an upset on the road Thursday.

Three must-know storylines

1) Nix, Broncos offense seeking more success before the fourth quarter

The Broncos have scored 42.7% of their points this season in the fourth quarter. Too often this season, they've dawdled around early before catching fire late. It's hard to argue with how it's working, with Denver sitting in first place at 7-2, but Sean Payton certainly wants to start faster as an offense. Bo Nix is one of only five QBs to account for 20 or more TDs this season, but he embodies this disparity. In the first three quarters of games, he's averaged 5.8 yards per attempt, with a 10-5 TD-INT ratio and an 81.6 QB rating. In fourth quarters, those numbers jump to 6.9 YPA, a 7-1 ratio and a 105.3 rating. There are plenty of positives on the whole with the Broncos' offense, with RBs J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey and WRs Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin becoming productive pairs. The offensive line also is considered among the handful of best units in the league. And outside of a home win over Tennessee, the Raiders defense has struggled over the past month. If there ever was a game for the Broncos to show more early-game productivity, this is it.

2) Bowers changed the outlook for Raiders offensively

Brock Bowers played the first four games of the season with a painful knee injury and bone bruise and was eventually forced out of the lineup until last week. On Sunday, Bowers showed what a healthy version of last year's rookie star is capable of: 12 catches (on 13 targets) for 127 yards, three TDs, plus a 6-yard run for good measure. Even with Bowers playing at less than full strength his first four games, the Raiders offense was far healthier with him in the lineup, averaging 124.1 more yards per game. Geno Smith certainly looked like a better QB on Sunday with Bowers playing. The NFL's INT leader with 11, Smith did have a pick against the Jaguars but also threw for 284 yards and four TDs. He had only seven in the seven previous games. With Jakobi Meyers traded to the Jaguars at Tuesday's deadline, the focus on Bowers grows even sharper. The Raiders have other interesting weapons in WR Tre Tucker and RB Ashton Jeanty, but Bowers is the clear engine for this offense.

3) Denver's defense looks different without Surtain

The Broncos boast some impressive defensive credentials, with a league-best 40 sacks, allowing only 279.9 yards and 18.4 points per game. They even passed their first test following the injury to CB Patrick Surtain II, beating the Texans, holding them out of the end zone this past Sunday and allowing a mere 3 of 17 third-down conversions. But it was a different Denver defense, with the Broncos playing man on only 27.7% of their snaps against Houston, according to Next Gen Stats. With Surtain on the field this season, the Broncos have been in man 44.2% of the time. If we assume Bowers will be the main target of Denver's defensive attention, it will be interesting to see how they defend him. According to Next Gen Stats, Bowers ate up zone coverage in Week 9, with eight catches on nine targets for 81 yards. Yet he was even more dangerous per catch vs. man, with three TD catches on four targets for 46 yards -- including a 27-yarder from outside the red zone, where teams tend to play more man coverage. Denver's pass rush also can help limit what Bowers can do, but Geno Smith's sack rate has nearly been cut in half the past five games compared to the first three.

Raiders' Week 10 injury report

Broncos' Week 10 injury report