Though the Oakland Raiders will be the underdogs in this Week 4 matchup with the rival Denver Broncos, here are five reasons they can win at Mile High.
This is the biggest game of the season so far for the Oakland Raiders. They will take on their AFC West rival in the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff from Sports Authority Field at Mile High will be at 1:25 p.m. PT on October 1. This will be the featured game on CBS in the late afternoon window.
Like Oakland, Denver suffered a tough first loss of the season in Week 3. The Broncos’ defeat came earlier in the day last Sunday on the road against a surprisingly decent Buffalo Bills team. Didn’t we think Buffalo was tanking like the New York Jets, who also won in Week 3?
The Raiders are looking to turn the page after a disastrous primetime performance against the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football. It’s one of those games where seemingly everything went wrong with regards to the game plan. At least the Raiders get a familiar foe to hopefully right the ship against on Sunday in Denver.
While Denver is the home favorite in this game, here are five reasons the Silver and Black can get back to their winning ways in Week 4 over the Broncos.
The Raiders don’t lose back-to-back regular season games of late
Not since late November 2015 have the Raiders lost back-to-back regular season games. It’s a testament to the football culture head coach Jack Del Rio has brought to his team. Though an emotional bunch, the Raiders have shown in the last year plus that they are willing to put in the work to avoid going on losing streaks.
It’s a terrific sign of a team that is rising to greatness. The Raiders know they played poorly against Washington. It was an emotional weekend in the NFL and maybe that got the best of the Raiders like it did some teams in Week 3? The Raiders have the talent and the focus to turn the page.
There is a sense of accountability within this team. Quarterback Derek Carr took ownership of his bad play in Week 3, as he should have. That likely trickles down to all members of the 53-man roster in looking at where they could have been better against the Redskins.
It’s been an impressive streak to not see the Raiders drop back-to-back regular season games since going on two years ago. Though it’s not one to overly gloat about, it symbolizes that the culture has changed within this team. They have the mental toughness to overcome a tough loss on the road in primetime and beat a division rival in their house to get to 3-1 on the year.