Raiders’ focus not on Peyton Manning, but Denver’s elite defense

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Forget all the buzzy talk about how past his prime Peyton Manning is. When it comes to the Broncos, whom the Raiders host Sunday, all the attention should be on Denver’s defense.

“It’s unbelievable,” Oakland defensive end Justin Tuck said.

The Broncos (4-0) have the top defense in the league, allowing 275.5 yards a game. Outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller have 25 and 24 quarterback pressures (sacks, hits and hurries combined), respectively. They lead the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

“There are guys you scheme for so that they don’t wreck the whole game for you, and the Broncos have two in Ware and Miller,” tight end Lee Smith said. “If we have to put two people on one of them at times, whatever we have to do.”

Smith noted Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has been around Ware and Miller. “ So, he has a little bit of insight. Plus, we have a bad taste in our mouth.”

That’s from the 22-20 loss to previously winless Chicago on Sunday.

Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater (5) is gang-sacked by Broncos Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Malik Jackson. Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater (5) is gang-sacked by Broncos Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Malik Jackson. Photo: Joe Mahoney, Associated Press Photo: Joe Mahoney, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Raiders’ focus not on Peyton Manning, but Denver’s elite defense 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Del Rio was the defensive coordinator in Denver last season. Wade Phillips has changed the defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and blitzed a lot more than Del Rio did. The players love it.

Ware, who had 53 sacks in 57 games for Phillips when they were in Dallas together, leads the NFL with 4.5 this season.

“He seems refreshed,” Phillips told reporters. “He’s standing up; he doesn’t have to go against the tackle all the time, except in pass-rush situations.”

The Broncos are first in defensive third-down success (75 percent), third in the NFL with 18 sacks, and are tied for second with 11 takeaways.

“We have our work cut out for us,” left tackle Donald Penn said. “They’re good and they know they’re good. Ware and Miller could be in any defense, and they’d be two of the best in the league.”

Eleven Broncos have at least one sack, including defensive end Antonio “Ninja” Smith, who started 16 games for the Raiders last year. Safety T.J. Ward, a San Francisco native, became the second defensive back in Denver history to have two sacks and a forced fumble in a game Sunday.

The Raiders (2-2) know they are going to have to run the ball to slow down this defense. After gaining 155 yards on the ground in the win in Cleveland on Sept. 27, Oakland had only 70 yards rushing on 22 carries Sunday in Chicago.

“You always try to run the ball at elite pass rushers, try to beat them up a little bit,” Lee Smith said. “You hope that would slow their pass rush down a little bit. … But these guys are going to pin their ears back no matter what.

“They’re studs. It’s a great challenge. Our offense sputtered a little bit last week, but our offense was moving the two weeks prior, and we’re looking forward to getting the train moving back in the right direction.”

Briefly: Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of DUI, hit-and-run with property damage and vandalism in Santa Clara. He has a pretrial date set for Nov. 4. … Members of the Blue Angels’ flight team attended practice as part of the Bay Area’s Fleet Week. The pilots, staff and family also had lunch with the players.

Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vtafur@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VicTafur