RAIDER WEEK. IT'S HERE.
And this time, we're going to Las Vegas. Sin City. A brand new stadium that has a nice field specifically made for football and one that is all the Raiders' own. While admittedly the feeling of Denver vs Oakland in that weird, baseball stadium will always be the first thing people think of in this rivalry, maybe soon Las Vegas vs Denver in the Death Star will take on a life of its own. But regardless of location, Raiders vs Broncos will always be a rivalry filled with hate.
I have grown up in the Mile High tradition of hating the Raiders. Everything from Raider Hater shirts to seeing fights between fans, and all the jokes Broncos fans made mocking their rivals futility in the 2000s. Rivalries on the gridiron are like no other because you only get a shot at your rival once or twice a year. Sometimes you only play them every 2-3 years. Raiders fans know about this and their Battle of the Bay rivalry with the 49ers. And rivalry games mean EVERYTHING. Alabama and Auburn fans can be the perfect example. One Alabama player remarked that both teams could 0-11, but as long as they beat each other, that one win means everything. Beat your rival, bragging rights are yours. Lose to your rival, you have to live with it till the next matchup. And for Broncos fans, this game means everything.
2014 was the last time the Broncos swept the Raiders in both games. Ever since then, the Broncos have split the series with the Raiders every year. Each team usually wins the home matchup and loses the road one. The Broncos hope to reverse that this time with a very important divisional game. At 3-5, another loss could all but sink the Broncos ship for 2020. The next two matchups are crucial if Denver wants any chance at the playoffs. The Raiders and Dolphins, both 5-3 teams, are right in front of them and they'll need to win both to stay in the hunt.
This game will most likely rest on the shoulders of Drew Lock and the offense. I won't go into detail about what I think should be done as I've already done a blogpost and video about that. So check that out if you want more info. Put simply, the Broncos need to let their quarterback run the offense the way he's comfortable with. It's clear when that happens, the offense can play fast and efficient. They can score and put up enough points to win games. They just need to let Drew Lock do his thing.
The defense will most likely be getting AJ Bouye and Bryce Callahan back, thank God. With the weapons this Raiders offense has, the secondary will need to be at their best. But the main concern is the front seven. Without Mike Purcell or Shelby Harris, the Raiders' main weapon of choice will be Josh Jacobs. He's been the engine of their offense. This means Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell will need to play big boy football for a second week. They will need to slow down this offense enough to keep them in the game. With Callahan and Bouye back, this is manageable.
Truth be told, this is going to be quite the test for this Broncos team. With all the injuries, they're going to be playing behind the 8 ball from the word 'go'. We'll see how they adapt. The Raiders are the better team and most odds are on them to win. But this Broncos team knows how to pull some surprises and going against their hated rivals would be a great team to do it against.
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