ENGLEWOOD, Colo — Grrr! Raiders Week!
Or as Sean Payton considers it, AFC West Opponent Week.
“We look at them as divisional games,’’ Payton said in a video-less, Zoom conference call Monday morning with reporters. “I think the rivalries are in college football, and then arch rivalries. I was asked that question a lot (when he with New Orleans in the NFC South), relative to Atlanta, New Orleans. I mean, look, divisional games are important. First goal is to find a way to win your division. You play your divisional opponents twice.”
The Denver Broncos open their regular season Sunday afternoon against an AFC West opponent in the Las Vegas Raiders.
There was a time when the Raiders where the most hated rival of Broncos Country. Maybe that still exists with the Denver fan base but in the modern-era of free agency, player movement, and opposing players exchanging signed jerseys immediately after the game, hostility between opponents sometimes has to be manufactured. It's not like the NFL of the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
“I can’t speak for rivalries,’’ Payton said. “I just think that exists a little bit more in the collegiate game. I think division games are important, yes.”
Rivalry or not, tThe Raiders are a great test for the newly Payton-led Broncos as the Black and Silver have won six consecutive games in this divisional matchup. One reason is running back Josh Jacobs. In the seven games he has played against the Broncos since he was a first-round draft choice in 2019, the Raiders have won all of them as he’s averaged 103 rushing yards per game.
His recent return from a lengthy contract holdout won’t affect how the Denver defense builds its strategy against him.
“Our plan defensively is, here are the key players,’’ Payton said. “He certainly is one of the more dominant running backs in the NFL so that’s how we’ll approach the game.”
The other Raider who has taken over the rivalry, err, divisional matchup, is edge player Maxx Crosby. He has at least one sack in seven consecutive games against the Broncos, 11.5 total in that span.
“He’s real flexible,’’ Payton said. “He’s a tremendous worker. Athletic. He’s got one of those motors that doesn’t stop and he can get to your edge quick. But his ability to bend and then his stamina are things that stand out.”
Following a three-day weekend off, the Broncos will resume practice at 11:30 Monday morning.
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