With “Win The West” emblazoned on shirts and plastered in bold capital letters along the walls in Dove Valley, Sunday marks the start of the Broncos’ bid to live up to that mantra and regain control of their division.
Denver takes on the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, where the Broncos are 0-2 since their rival moved from Oakland to Las Vegas. But coach Nathaniel Hackett doesn’t care about recent AFC West history, or the Broncos being 11-25 within the division since their last divisional title in 2015.
“That’s the past, and this is the now,” Hackett said. “I just know what we’re about to go out there and try to do. I know it’s going to be a great game in a rivalry between these two teams, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
While the Broncos are 2-1 and tied with the Chiefs atop the division despite a largely anemic offense, the Raiders are winless. First-year head coach (and ex-Broncos coach) Josh McDaniels and Las Vegas are the lone 0-3 team in football, with an average margin of four points in those defeats, one of which came in overtime.
For that reason, and because of the Raiders’ wide array of playmakers, quarterback Russell Wilson believes Las Vegas is a team whose “record may not show exactly what their circumstances are.”
“This is a really good football team, with a lot of great players and a lot of all-star type players,” Wilson said. “It starts with Derek Carr at QB and then Davante Adams at wideout, (Josh) Jacobs running the rock, (Pro Bowl tight end) Darren Waller. And on the defensive side, Chandler Jones, No. 55, he’s a game-wrecker… (Linebacker Jonathan) Abrams coming off the edge, what a player he is, and Maxx Crosby, too. They’ve got a lot of talent.”
The last time the Broncos gave up 100 yards to one receiver and 300 yards passing in the same day was against Waller, Carr and the Raiders in the 2020 season finale.
But this current Denver defense — with No. 1 cornerback Pat Surtain II likely assuming primary coverage duties vs. Adams — appears more formidable. The Broncos rank second in points per game (12), third in average net yards allowed (251.3) and third in average net passing yards (170).
Of course, those numbers came against a series of quarterbacks (Geno Smith, Davis Mills and Jimmy Garoppolo) who have not reached the same Pro Bowl heights as Carr.
Hackett, who coached Adams the last three seasons in Green Bay as the Packers’ offensive coordinator, acknowledged the difficult task in shutting down the Raiders’ No. 1 passing option. Adams has 17 catches for 189 yards on the year, and one touchdown in each of the first three games.
“You’ve just got to try to slow him down,” Hackett said. “He’s a dynamic receiver on how he can get the ball vertically, on intermediate routes and all over the place…. It’s not going to just be one guy’s responsibility. It’s going to be the whole team knowing where he is.”
A win Sunday in Las Vegas would certainly boost the Broncos’ early odds of toppling the six-time defending AFC West champion Chiefs. Kansas City is scheduled to play in Tampa Bay this weekend, a stiff cross-conference test and Super Bowl LV re-match that might be moved to Minneapolis due to Hurricane Ian.
The Chargers, meanwhile, are hurting. Quarterback Justin Herbert is playing with fractured rib cartilage, starting left tackle Rashawn Slater (biceps tear) is out for the season, and the team placed Pro Bowl pass-rusher Joey Bosa (groin) on injured reserve Wednesday, meaning Bosa will miss L.A.’s Week 6 game against Denver. Wideout Keenan Allen (hamstring) and cornerback J.C. Jackson (ankle) are also dealing with injuries.
All of that presents a window for Denver, if the Broncos can get off to a good start Sunday.
“We’re excited because with our defense, how elite they’re playing, how great they are, how amazing they’ve been, I can’t wait until when (the offense) turns it around,” Wilson said. “… Because we could be really unstoppable, and we really believe that we’re going to be.”
