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The Eagles will play the Broncos in Week 4, and a matchup featuring Denver on Monday night will be a critical tool in the evaluation process for Philadelphia heading into their game on Sunday. While the Raiders are considered among the worst teams in the league, their interactions and success (or lack there of) against Denver could go a long way into the planning against the Broncos for Chip Kelly. The reason for that importance is that the Eagles and Raiders share several characteristics: a mobile and read-option-based quarterback, a weak secondary and a an extremely talented all-purpose running back.
Raiders' quarterback Terrelle Pryor is a multiple threat as a signal-caller. He has range and speed that match Michael Vick but is much bigger in size. Pryor's ability to go mobile will test a Broncos defense that is without Von Miller. If the Broncos struggle to set the edge against Pryor, he will burn them much like Vick would. If Kelly notices a weakness in the Broncos' ability to stop the run, he will exploit it in Week 4.
The Raiders feature one of the worst secondaries in the league. Their ability to stand up to Peyton Manning and stop the Denver from scoring points will help Bill Davis dictate coverage against the Broncos. If Manning is forced to favor the middle of the field, Davis (if intelligent) will know that he has to center his coverage. If Manning plans to spread the ball out, Davis may decide to go nickel all game on Sunday.
The last comparison for analysis will be the Broncos treatment of Darren McFadden, who is just as good of a receiver as he is a runner. For the Eagles, the coaching staff will need to see how the Broncos react to screens and read-option. If the Raiders have some success with gimmicks and read-option plays, Kelly could choose to dial those up with LeSean McCoy, who is significantly more talented than McFadden in space. If Kelly can find a place to exploit Denver in the running game, McCoy could be in for a major game. That said, if the running game excels for the Eagles, they will likely control the clock, keeping Manning off the field.
The Eagles number one goal in Week 4, should be keeping Manning on the sideline as long as possible, so Week 3's Broncos-Raiders game will likely serve as the basis for the Eagles evaluation. The Broncos will host the Raiders on Monday Night Football on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET.