Week 11 preview: Davante Adams vs Patrick Surtain II Round 2

Preview of Sunday’s matchup

When the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos squared off in Week 4, wide receiver Davante Adams and cornerback Patrick Surtain II had quite the battle against each other. Adams was targeted nine times with Surtain in coverage, and the wideout did come down with five of those passes for 54 yards but that only netted two first downs. Meanwhile, the corner mixed in two pass breakups which makes for an interesting round two between the AFC West rivals.

Our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook are giving the edge to Surtain and the Broncos as the Raiders head to the Mile High City as about field goal underdogs. So, for this week’s five questions, I asked Mile High Report’s Ian St. Clair for his thoughts on the one-on-one matchup and a few other storylines heading into the game.

Question: What do you make of the reports, if you will, that Russell Wilson’s old teammates don’t really like him? The one story that sticks out in my mind is the one where Marshawn Lynch basically confirmed that teammates have to go through Russ’ agent to talk to him, so I’m curious if there have been any reports about friction in the locker room with him?

Answer: A lot of this depends on the former teammate who says it. When it’s Richard Sherman, you get the impression that Wilson kicked his dog and punched a baby. Sherman comes across as extraordinarily jealous and jaded. Maybe Sherman can’t believe Wilson is with Ciara.

As for Lynch, that doesn’t really surprise me. Wilson probably goes to great lengths to give his number to a select few. Right or wrong. People have to remember he’s married to one of the biggest music stars in the world. And based on how Sherman is acting like a petulant child, you can see why Wilson does that.

As of now, there have been no reports of friction or problems in the locker room. What we do get is former players in Denver who can’t believe Wilson wears sunglasses and headphones to the practice field in London. Not even kidding.

Q: What’s Jerry Jeudy’s status for the game and who replaces him if he can’t go?

A: The good news is Jeudy didn’t have a more severe ankle injury. There’s a chance he plays against the Raiders, which would help this offense a ton. However, I’d be surprised if he plays on Sunday. For Wednesday’s injury report, he was a DNP.

As for who replaces him, the best bet might be Rod Smith. In all seriousness, I’d keep an eye on Jalen Virgil. The undrafted rookie caught his first NFL pass against the Tennessee Titans that resulted in a touchdown.

Q: I thought Patrick Surtain II played well against Davante Adams last time. How do you see that matchup unfolding this time around? DraftKings Sportsbook has a weekly special where Adams going for over 100 yards and having more than one receiving touchdown is a +250 bet, would you take that?

A: The last matchup between Adams and Surtain is the only game in which a receiver has done anything against him. Surtain has simply been unreal this year. And the rest of the league has taken notice.

Chris Simms just listed him as the best cornerback in football. Adams will definitely get his yards, especially when Surtain isn’t on him. What keeps me from taking the bet is more than one touchdown.

Adams has only scored more than one touchdown twice this season. I don’t see him doing that against Surtain or this defense. If you want another bet to consider, hammer the under. The under is 8-1 in Broncos games this season.

Q: How have the Broncos replaced Bradley Chubb?

A: Ironically, the replacement for Chubb hasn’t played since Chubb was traded to the Dolphins. Baron Browning has been unbelievable this season. Hopefully he’s able to get back on the field soon because he’s a difference-maker. He’s had flashes of Von Miller with how he’s consistently gotten after the quarterback. Browning is also why George Paton was able to trade Chubb.

Q: What expectations does Broncos Country have for the rest of the season? Are they on board with a tank and looking toward the draft?

A: At this point, Broncos Country wants the team to lose.

That’s how badly the fan base wants to move on from Nathaniel (cannot) Hackett. He’s out of his element and just does not know what he’s doing. If the Broncos lose to the Raiders, who just lost to a team coached by Jeff Saturday, that has to be it in their eyes. And what makes all of this tougher is this pick goes to the Seattle Seahawks.

So, the only hope to get a high draft pick is if the San Francisco 49ers somehow fall off the cliff, which won’t happen. I think the 49ers are capable of going on a run the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.