With just five games to go in the 2025 NFL regular season, the Denver Broncos are in a great position. Boasting a 10-2 record, the Broncos are in the hunt for AFC West division title and top playoff seed in the conference. This weekend, they head on the road to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. Here are three players I believe need to play at a high level in order for them to notch their eleventh win of the season.

Malcolm Roach — Defensive Tackle

There is no doubt Denver’s defense has been tremendous season thus far. The unit ranks highly in most analytics and metrics. Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph has been in his bag coaching and scheming things up and the players have done well executing most weeks. However, there have been some struggles on occasion.

Last week against the Washington Commanders, the Broncos had issues stopping the run and gave up nearly 150 yards on the ground. The absence of D.J. Jones, who only played in 19 snaps due to an ankle injury, was a big reason for that. Unfortunately, Jones has been a non-participant in practice most of the week and his status for Sunday’s game is still up in the air.

That will put added pressure on Malcolm Roach and the rest of the defensive line to step up. This is a game where the Broncos can’t afford Ashton Jeanty to have a big game. Jeanty and the Raiders rushing offense have really struggled the past few weeks. It’ll be up to Roach and company to ensure he doesn’t have a breakout performance on Sunday.

RJ Harvey — Running Back

Rookie running back RJ Harvey has certainly flashed big play potential this season. The second-round pick has eight touchdowns this season. That’s impressive. Head Coach Sean Payton has done his best to scheme Harvey up as a mismatch player in the offense as a runner and receiver.

Unfortunately, Harvey’s production as a runner has been hit or miss. He certainly has broken off some explosive gains this year, but is averaging less than 3 yards per carry the past two games replacing J.K. Dobbins. An efficient running attack will be critical to finish the season strong and make a deep playoff run.

The Raiders have struggled defending the run in recent weeks. I believe establishing the run will be a huge focus for Payton and Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi this week. While I don’t expect a monumental performance from Harvey, seeing consistency making the right reads and maximizing each carry will be mission critical if the Broncos hope to win their eleventh game of the season.

Evan Engram — Tight End

All season long; Broncos Country has hoped for Evan Engram to become the proverbial ‘Joker’ in Payton’s offense. Engram was a prize free agent signing of Denver’s this past spring and touted as a high-profile difference maker that could kick the Broncos’ offensive production up a notch. Alas, the results to date have been ho-hum at best.

On the bright side, last week’s big catch-and-run in overtime against the Commanders proved to be the catalyst the Broncos needed to earn a victory on Sunday Night Football. It was truly the first glimpse we have seen this season that highlights his impactful playmaking ability.

Earlier this week, Lombardi had high praise for Engram who came down with some big grabs in primetime after a few drops to start the game. While you never know who is going to be targeted on any given play, I’m hoping he and Bo Nix can continue to find ways to involve the veteran tight end over the final five games of the season. Having those two be an efficient connection this weekend would be nice to see and definitely help Denver achieve a bigtime win.