Aqib Talib

Denver Broncos: Aqib Talib ruled OUT for game vs. Raiders

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Denver Broncos have ruled out Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday Night Football with a back injury…

Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib is really good at football, but unfortunately, he’s injured. Talib was ruled OUT by the Denver Broncos for their Sunday night matchup against the Oakland Raiders and one of the top passing attacks in the league.

Luckily, the Broncos have the reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week taking his place in Bradley Roby, special teams captain Kayvon Webster coming back from a hamstring injury to help, and Lorenzo Doss coming off of a phenomenal introduction to real NFL action.

The well runs deep at the cornerback position for the Broncos, but the absence of Talib is certainly not ideal. Talib has been playing at a borderline NFL defensive player of the year level for the Broncos, though Von Miller would have something to say about that.

#Broncos Doss ready for challenge of #Raiders. “They are good. But we have ballers in the secondary.” @DenverChannel

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) November 4, 2016

The Denver secondary is going to have to be on top of its game. Derek Carr is playing at a phenomenal level right now, and he has two receivers in Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper that are capable of making big plays. The Broncos have no peer in the NFL when it comes to shutting down opposing receivers of this caliber, but this will be a very tough challenge.

Again, not having Talib is not ideal, but it’s not a back-breaker.

No pun intended.

The Broncos can still shut down the passing game of the Raiders, or at least limit it. The key to doing that is generating a pass rush, and that group is fully healthy and ready to go. In fact, DeMarcus Ware had a chance to get his feet wet in a win against the Chargers last week, and has his game legs underneath him again.

This is going to be a tough road game for the Broncos, but the Raiders can be beat and the Broncos have the horses to get it done.