LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Broncos are 0-4 in Las Vegas, but in a matchup of teams heading in opposite directions, Denver has more at stake than trying to end a series skid.
A victory over the Raiders puts the Broncos that much closer to an unexpected playoff berth, playing with a rookie quarterback and just a year after they went 8-9.
The Broncos are 6-5 and coming off a 38-6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, and would be in the playoff field if the season ended entering Week 12. Not bad for a team given a win total of 5 1/2 games at BetMGM Sportsbook.
“Everyone understands the significance of where we are at this point in the season,” Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said.
The situation is quite different for the Raiders. They are 2-8, on a six-game losing streak and decimated by injuries.
Las Vegas could enter this game without its top two running backs and a reshuffled line on offense, and defensively, the Raiders could have two linemen, three cornerbacks and a safety out of action.
“Just been having some bad breaks, but nobody feels sorry for us,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. "Nobody feels sorry for me. You’ve got to roll out there with 11 players, and that’s what we’re going to do come Sunday.”
The Raiders are badly in a need of a franchise quarterback and are in a logjam for the top pick in next year's NFL draft.
Denver showed with this year's draft how valuable landing such a QB can be to an organization. Bo Nix was selected 12th — one spot ahead of the Raiders — and he is pushing for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He was this week's top AFC player and rookie after completing 28 of 33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns in the rout of the Falcons.
“I think as we’ve gone on, Coach (Sean Payton) and I have found a good rhythm of what we both like, what we can kind of put out there on the field and what we can execute," Nix said. "Then the guys have kind of adapted to it, found our roles within the offense and executed at a high level. It’s just all about slowing the game down and processing things in a manner that you can handle.”
Nix's competition?
Raiders tight end Brock Bowers also could have a say in who wins the season's top offensive rookie award.
He is second in the NFL with 70 catches and his 706 yards receiving is 10th among all receivers.
His numbers from a historical perspective are even more impressive. Bowers, the 13th pick in this year's draft, is fourth all time among all tight ends in catches through the first 11 weeks and he and Jeremy Shockey in 2002 are the only rookies at that position to have more than one game with at least 10 receptions.
“This week's a brand new week,” Bowers said. “I've always got something to prove.”
Crowded backfield
Payton still isn't entirely comfortable splitting carries between running backs Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Audric Estime.
Asked how he determines the right balance in his rotation, Payton said, “That's the $6 million question. It’s difficult. We know kind of what we have with those three players. I think it’s always hard to feed three.
"I'm used to — and it’s easy — to feed two. So we kind of do that a little bit. I thought Javonte had some really good runs (last week). Certainly the game ends and we’re like, ‘Gosh, we have to get Jaleel more touches.’ So it’s a tough, but a good problem to have.”
Starting mindset
With injuries to running backs Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quadriceps), 10-year veteran Ameer Abdullah could get the start for the Raiders this weekend.
He has just 17 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown this season and started just one game his previous six seasons.
“I see myself as a starter,” Abdullah said. “I think every guy in the room does. I consider myself the best back on this team just like every back does. This is my opportunity to go out there and put my best foot forward.”
Certain Surtain
Patrick Surtain II had a pair of interceptions, including one he returned for 100 yards and a touchdown, in the team's first meeting this season and that fueled the Broncos' 34-18 win in Denver. Both of the passes were intended for Bowers, who caught a 57-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
Surtain isn't expecting the Raiders to avoid him Sunday, however.
“You don't want to go into a game thinking they're not gonna throw it your way,” Surtain said, “because it's the pros at the end of the day, everybody's ready, everybody's capable.”
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AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton in Englewood, Colorado, contributed to this report.
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Mark Anderson, The Associated Press
