Week 5 key matchups: Wilkins, Meinerz set for battle in trenches

Both sides of the ball are in for a fight in the trenches

It’s only fitting that the Denver Broncos will be sporting their 1977 ‘Orange Crush’ uniforms in Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders as this game features one of the NFL’s oldest and most historic rivalries. These teams have been facing each other since 1960 and the Raiders lead the all-time series 73-54-2 and have won eight straight against the Broncos.

This year’s matchup pits two 2-2 squads against each other, heightening the stakes with Las Vegas and Denver tied in the AFC West standings. That adds some extra weight to the three key matchups below for the Silver and Black.

Christian Wilkins vs. Quinn Meinerz

This is a one-on-one battle between two linemen who got paid in the offseason. The Raiders signed Wilkins to a four-year, $110 million contract in free agency while the Broncos extended Meinerz to the tune of four years, $72 million. And there’s a reason why both buys’ bank accounts are full.

Wilkins has been stout against the run this season, ranking ninth among defensive tackles with a 75.5 grade from Pro Football Focus and logging five defensive stops as a run defender.

Meanwhile, Meinerz had a couple of tough outings as a run-blocker to begin the season but has picked things up over the last two weeks with marks of 69.9 and 77.7, respectively. Also, he’s coming off a season where he ranked second among guards in the metric (88.7).

Especially with rookie Bo Nix under center, that could play a big factor as the Broncos will likely be looking to pound the rock.

Speaking of Nix, Las Vegas will undoubtedly want to put pressure on the rookie quarterback and if Maxx Crosby misses his second consecutive game, the defense will be counting on Wilkins to pick up the slack.

That’s where the Bronco has the advantage on paper as he’s only surrendered five pressures in four games and has yet to give up a sack, per PFF. The Raider has been solid as a pass-rusher so far with eight pressures including a sack—a half-sack in each of the last two contests to be more specific. However, Las Vegas is going to need more from him this weekend.

Offensive Tackles vs. Zach Allen

Photo by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images

Allen has been wreaking havoc as a pass-rusher so far this season. He leads all interior defenders with 23 pressures, four more than second-place Chris Jones, and ranks second regardless of position. Additionally, he lines up on both sides of the center with 112 snaps as a right defensive end and 69 at left end.

Part of the problem for Las Vegas is, at the time of writing, it’s a bit of a question about which offensive tackles will be available though Kolton Miller returned to practice on Thursday.

Regardless, Miller has struggled in pass protection this year with 12 pressures surrendered, tied for eight-most among offensive tackles, including six sacks, the most at the position.

On the other side, Thayer Munford Jr. missed last week’s game and is still banged up so rookie D.J. Glaze could be making his second career start. Munford has been solid in pass-pro, yielding just three pressures in as many games, via PFF. However, Glaze has been a different story with six pressures allowed in two contests.

The running game might be a different story though as the rookie has out-performed his predecessor with a 55.1 grade compared to 38.0. Meanwhile, Miller has a mark of 56.6.

Granted, all of those figures are below-average but Las Vegas could still have an advantage in the ground game in this specific matchup. Allen has struggled against the run so far, posting a grade of 35.4.

Brock Bowers vs. P.J. Lock/Brandon Jones

It’s a mystery how opponents will choose to defend Bowers given his unique skill set for a tight end and the fact he’s lined up as a slot receiver on 59.0 percent of his pass snaps this season. But the Broncos have a couple of safeties who have enough size and experience covering the slot for it to make sense for them to line up across from the rookie.

Lock stands at 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds and has allowed a meager 0.86 yards per coverage snap so far this season, per PFF. As for Jones, he’s 6-foot-1 and 191 pounds and has less experience at nickel than Lock, but Jones has been more efficient with 0.69 yards per coverage snap.

However, those two haven’t faced a tight end quite like Bower yet this season. The No. 13 overall pick ranks second among tight ends with 20 catches and 216 yards, trailing only Dallas Goedert in both categories, and over 50 percent of his targets have come from the slot.

Diving deeper, Bowers has the third-most yards after the catch (103) at his position while Locke hasn’t missed a tackle in coverage and Jones has just two whiffs on the campaign so far.

Especially with Davante Adams expected to miss his second game in a row, the winner of this matchup will likely have a major impact on the Raiders’ ability to put points on the board.