For the second time in a month, the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders will face off, this time at Allegiant Stadium. The Broncos, with a 10-2 record, are aiming for their second consecutive sweep of the Raiders, who currently stand at 2-10.
In their previous meeting, Denver secured a narrow 10-7 win during “Thursday Night Football” at Empower Field at Mile High. As the regular season nears its end, both teams are preparing for another divisional matchup.
Quarterback Bo Nix commented on the significance of the game: “We have an important one this week, a divisional game on the road. Those are always important to go out there and get. They’re a tough team. They’re a hungry team.”
A victory in Las Vegas would allow Denver to claim the top seed in the AFC and gain a tiebreak advantage over the current No. 1-seeded Patriots. It would also mark their fifth straight road win—tying for fourth-longest such streak in franchise history—and increase their chances of winning the AFC West title to 90 percent.
“We’re in a great spot,” Nix said ahead of Week 14. “10-2 is hard to do. … But we didn’t work this hard just to win 10.”
The Broncos’ offense struggled in their first meeting with Las Vegas, scoring only ten points and committing seven penalties for 55 yards along with two turnovers. Head Coach Sean Payton acknowledged these issues: “We didn’t play nearly our best game offensively” and described reviewing that performance as “tough film to watch.” He added, “They’ve done a good job at times defensively. They put us in a pickle last time. I think the film this year is important.”
Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi emphasized cleaner execution: “I think we got behind the sticks a lot with penalties,” he said Thursday. “They played the run really well, gave us some different looks that we hadn’t seen before. They kind of knocked us off schedule a little bit.
“… We told the guys, don’t get fooled by the record. This is a good defense.”
Denver’s recent offensive showing against Washington was more disciplined—they were penalized only once for ten yards and scored three touchdowns across four drives of at least ten plays.
Defensively, limiting Raiders tight end Brock Bowers remains key after holding him to one catch for 31 yards without star cornerback Pat Surtain II available in Week 10. Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph explained: “Their best player is Bowers, obviously, and the runner [Ashton Jeanty], so our main thing is to not let Bowers beat us in any capacity — first, second or third down,” adding that containing Bowers could be decisive.
Since their last encounter with Denver, Las Vegas has changed both coordinators—Greg Olson now leads offense while Derius Swinton heads special teams. Joseph noted adjustments under Olson: “Some things are very similar and some things aren’t… Every week is something new you have to adjust to.” Payton added: “There’ll be some things they want to do differently. I’m sure they’ll want to run the ball more.”
The Raiders managed only 14 points and totaled 156 yards under Olson’s direction last week; overall they rank near league bottom in scoring offense while allowing high numbers of sacks and interceptions.
On special teams, Assistant Head Coach Darren Rizzi called for greater consistency despite JL Skinner’s blocked punt being pivotal previously: “There are some noticeable differences on film… He has the guys playing really, really hard… We had one really big play… but I think we have to be more consistent ourselves and be better this go-round.”
Denver’s ability to adapt against unfamiliar coaching strategies may prove crucial as they seek an eleventh win.
