New Game Preview: Raiders vs Broncos - Week 10

Photo Credit: Las Vegas Raiders

Game Preview: Raiders vs. Broncos – Week 10

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Las Vegas Raiders (5-3) | Denver Broncos (3-5)

The Las Vegas Raiders are back home at Allegiant Stadium after two weeks on the road and take on thier AFC West Division rival, the Denver Broncos.

The Silver and Black return home to Allegiant Stadium in Week 10 and host the Denver Broncos for their second of three consecutive matchups against the AFC West. The Raiders have split the season series with the Broncos each of the last five seasons dating back to 2015 while riding a four-game winning streak at home against the division rival. The Raiders also hold a 64-53-2 lead in the all-time regular-season series and will look to improve to 3-0 against AFC West opponents this Sunday.

In Week 9, the Raiders traveled to Los Angeles for their first of two contests with the Chargers and returned home to Las Vegas with a 31-26 victory to move to 5-3 on the campaign. Quarterback Derek Carr registered his sixth game with a passer rating over 100.0 this season, completing 13-of-23 attempts for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Running backs Josh Jacobs and Devontae Booker each scored a touchdown and recorded over 65 rushing yards, leading the way for an offense that combined for a total of 160 yards on the ground while averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Wide receiver Nelson Agholor found the end zone on a 45-yard touchdown pass to record his fourth touchdown reception on the season of at least 20 yards, a mark that is tied for second-most in the NFL. Darren Waller also hauled in a touchdown pass from Carr, his fourth of the season, and a new career-high.

On defense, Maxx Crosby and tallied his fifth sack of the season, while safety Lamarcus Joyner (12) and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (13) each posted career highs in tackles. However, no one shined brighter than second-year cornerback Isaiah Johnson, as the young defensive player saw extended playing time due to injuries in the secondary. Johnson posted career highs in tackles (six) and passes defended (two), with his two pass defenses coming in the remaining 10 seconds of the game, in the end-zone on consecutive plays to seal a victory for the Silver and Black as time expired.

The Broncos enter Week 10 of the NFL season after suffering a defeat on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, losing by 27-34 score fall to 3-5 on the season. Following Sunday’s contest against the Raiders, the Broncos will return home for consecutive games against the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, the Silver and Black will face the Kansas City Chiefs before closing out the month against NFC South opponents when they face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12.

Raiders need to watch out for the trap game.

The Kansas City Chiefs once again lead the AFC West. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is off to a blistering start to the season, throwing 25 touchdowns against only one interception, and has his Chiefs sitting at 8-1 heading into the bye week. They are also the Raiders’ next opponent.

The only blemish on the Chiefs record came at the Raiders’ hands, who also have the only interception of Mahomes this season. Las Vegas goes into their Week 10 matchup against the Broncos coming off two straight road wins and will now head home to Allegiant Stadium, where they have struggled.

Overall, the Raiders have a chance to catch the Chiefs in the division, but most likely, they will end up with a Wild Card spot. Denver and Los Angeles are in the middle of lost seasons, as they have not been consistent and have been battling injuries, so it is really only a two-team race at this point in the season.

That is what makes this week’s game a possible trap. The Raiders don’t want to be caught looking ahead to the Chiefs and falter to the Broncos. While the Broncos record is below .500, they still have some dangerous weapons. Jerry Jeudy is starting to come into his own, and Drew Lock will surely be looking to feed his rookie wide receiver.

The Raiders are sitting on a good position.

The Raiders’ original starting offensive line has played about 10 snaps. Several players missed time on the COVID list. And don’t forget they’ve played one of the hardest schedules in the NFL.

Yet somehow, someway, the Raiders are 5-3 going into the second half of the season.

Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden says that the team’s adversities have only made them stronger.

“I think we’ve been competitive week in and week out,” said coach Gruden, “We’ve adapted to a lot of different circumstances. Missing players, missing practice, different types of weather, and obviously the COVID experience has really made things bizarre and different. But I compliment our team, our players, and our coaches for being able to concentrate, prepare hard, and compete hard.

“That’s what I’m most proud of, but we still have a long way to go.”

The second half of the season is poised to be a bit easier than their first half, at least on paper. Three out of eight of their remaining games are against teams with a winning record, including, of course, the Chiefs, whom the Raiders defeated in Arrowhead Stadium Week 5.

Raiders and Broncos connections:

Raiders running back Devontae Booker spent his first four seasons with the Denver Broncos (2016-19) after originally being selected by the club in the fourth round (136th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Raiders senior offensive assistant John Morton served on the same coaching staff with the San Francisco 49ers as Broncos’ Head Coach Vic Fangio and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell from 2011-14.

Raiders tight ends coach Frank Smith served on the same coaching staff with the Chicago Bears as Broncos’ Head Coach Vic Fangio and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell from 2015-17.

Raiders offensive line coach Tom Cable served on the same staff in Atlanta with Broncos’ defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and defensive assistant Chris Beake in 2006.

Raiders quality control-offense coach Tim Berbenich served on the same staff in Indianapolis with Broncos’ special teams’ coordinator Tom McMahon from 2013-17.

Do not miss this important AFC division matchup, as the Raiders take on the Broncos Sunday at 1:05 PM on CBS.

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Joe Arrigo – Franchise Sports Media

Twitter: @JoeArrigo

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Raiders vs Broncos

Joe Arrigo

Joe Arrigo is the co-founder and VP of Franchise Sports Media. Joe has been in media since 2004 when he became the morning host on KKUU and mid-days co-host on KXPS in Pam Springs. After his time in Palm Springs, Joe became the operations manager when he built, programmed, and was on-air for KQCM. He has also had stints on-air in various markets, including Fresno. Joe became the producer and co-host for The Beast 980 (KFWB), a sports talk station in Los Angeles, before moving to Vegas in 2015. In 2019 he founded Franchise Sports Media with TQ.

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