DENVER (AP) — The Davante Adams drama arrived just in time for the Las Vegas Raiders’ trip to Denver, where they’ll try to extend their confounding winning streak over the Broncos to nine games.
Dysfunction has not waylaid the Raiders during their dominance of their division rivals.
They won in Denver in 2021 just days after Jon Gruden’s resignation and handed longtime special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia a win in his debut as interim head coach. A year later in Las Vegas, an embattled Josh McDaniels got his first win as a head coach since being fired by Denver in 2010.
The Raiders (2-2) reportedly have had conversations with several teams since Monday when Adams, who missed last week’s game against Cleveland with a hamstring injury, told the team he preferred to play elsewhere.
“Davante’s dealing with a hamstring (injury),” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “He’s rehabbing, and the rest of us are focusing on Denver.”
The Raiders may not have Adams top of mind but the Broncos (2-2) sure do.
They spent plenty of time during the week preparing as if they’ll face Adams on Sunday — when the Broncos pay homage to their “Orange Crush” defense that led them to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1977.
Broncos coach Sean Payton relayed how he neglected to prepare for an injured DeMarcus Ware in 2013 and the then-Cowboys star harassed Saints QB Drew Brees all game: “It was a tough coaching lesson,” Payton said.
The Broncos, who ended a 16-game skid against the Kansas City Chiefs last year, haven’t beaten the Raiders since Dec. 29, 2019, when Shelby Harris’ knockdown of Derek Carr’s 2-point pass to an open Hunter Renfrow with 7 seconds left preserved Denver’s 16-15 victory on the final weekend of the regular season.
That put an emphatic end to the Raiders’ run in Oakland as the franchise relocated to Las Vegas the next year and haven’t lost to Denver since.
Neither team wanted to talk much about the recent one-sided nature of the rivalry or its confounding nature — take away games against each other and the Raiders are 24-35 since 2020 and the Broncos are 25-33.
“I don’t even think about the past,” said left tackle Garett Bolles, the longest-tenured Bronco. “I’m just focused on Sunday.”
So is Pierce, who bristled when asked if the Raiders’ dominating the series of late gives Las Vegas any kind of psychological edge.
“In 2024 we haven’t. We haven’t played them yet. So, the past is the past,” Pierce said. “You can’t talk about those 8, 12, 20 games, whatever many years back. We’re talking about this year, the 2024 Raiders and the Broncos, and they’re playing really good. They’re coming off a two-game winning streak on the road against two good quarterbacks and teams, and it’s going to be a challenge for us on the road against that team.”
That ’70s show
The Broncos are turning back the clock to 1977 on Sunday when they’ll honor the “Orange Crush” led by 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Randy Gradishar. Two of his teammates from that era, Steve Foley and Riley Odoms, will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame.
The Broncos are also debuting their throwback uniforms, the field paint design will replicate the 1977 AFC championship game, the scoreboards and stadium signage will feature throwback design elements and hits from the late 1970s will be played throughout the game.
A star is born
Raiders defensive end Charles Snowden went undrafted in 2021 out of Virginia and then spent most of his career on practice squads. Snowden’s only appearances were in two games in 2021 with the Chicago Bears.
Las Vegas found itself thin at defensive end after the injuries to Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce this season and Snowden has taken advantage, appearing in all four games and making critical plays in Sunday’s 20-16 victory over the Browns.
Snowden batted down a Cleveland pass on second down at the Raiders 22-yard line. Two plays later on fourth-and-3 at the 9, Snowden sacked Deshaun Watson to seal the victory.
Snowden’s playing time doesn’t figure to diminish with Koonce out for the season with a torn ACL and Crosby possibly not playing at Denver because of a high ankle sprain.
Big turnaround
Being the NFL draft’s seventh overall pick last year brought extra scrutiny to Las Vegas defensive end Tyree Wilson. He was coming off a foot injury in his final season at Texas Tech and didn’t practice well into training camp. That lack of preparation showed in what was a largely underwhelming rookie season for Wilson.
Pro Football Focus said Wilson was the highest-rated Raiders player against the Browns with a trio of QB pressures. “I know who I can be,” Wilson said. “It takes work. It takes time to get to that point.”
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AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson contributed.
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