Denver, CO
Broncos at Raiders preview: Denver looks for season sweep of Las Vegas
The Denver Broncos just had one of their complete and dominating wins in a long time.
Bo Nix put up one of the best games a rookie quarterback has played in the NFL.
Now the Broncos (6-5) are in the thick of the AFC Playoff picture and a legitimate NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Now Denver will look for the season sweep of the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) on Sunday. Prior to their 34-18 win in Week 5, the Broncos hadn’t beaten Las Vegas in eight straight games.
To keep the playoff hopes alive, Denver needs to follow up their win over the Atlanta Falcons with another strong performance this week.
Offensive Rankings
Denver: Twenty-third in total offense (312.5 yards per game), 20th in rushing offense (116.0 YPG), 25th in passing offense (196.5 YPG), 20th in scoring (21.4 points per game).
Las Vegas: Thirtieth in total offense (285.0 yards per game), 32nd in rushing offense (75.2 YPG), 17th in passing offense (209.8 YPG), tied for 24th in scoring (18.7 points per game).
Defensive Rankings
Denver: Third in total defense (289.4 yards per game), sixth in rushing defense (98.6 YPG), seventh in passing defense (190.7 YPG), third in scoring (16.6 points per game).
Las Vegas: Tied for 13th in total defense (327.8 yards per game), 15th in rushing defense (125.1 YPG), 11th in passing defense (202.7 YPG), 29th in scoring (28.5 points per game).
Here are the MHR staff’s keys to Sunday’s game.
No let up from the Broncos
Denver absolutely dominated and demolished the Falcons. It’s natural to have a letup the following week, especially against a bad opponent. The Broncos need to avoid this and adopt the same mindset they did against Atlanta. Don’t think about Las Vegas’s record or any of the struggles. Focus on the task at hand this week, and that’s playing another complementary football game. — Ian St. Clair
Dominate on third downs
To keep winning games, the Broncos need to continue winning on the money down. Check out how they’ve done on 3rd down over the last month:
- Vs CAR: 11 of 17 (64.7%)
- @ BAL: 6 of 14 (42.9%)
- @ KC: 7 of 13 (53.8%)
- Vs ATL: 6 of 11 (54.5%)
- Total: 30 of 55 (54.5%)
What’s crazy about that is that the Broncos are still down at just 36.99% (20th) on the season- evidence of just how much this offense has improved since those early struggles. Turning that around has resulted in two blowout wins and a heartbreaker of a what-should’ve-been in the last month. And that 54.5% mark is top 5 in the NFL over that time period. Continuing that success will mean dominating teams like the Raiders who lack the QB or the offensive horsepower to match the Broncos. — Taylor Kothe
Generate turnovers
The Raiders were lowkey sticking it to the Broncos defense early in their last matchup, but that pick-six by Pat Surtain changed everything. Gardner Minshew hasn’t been the same quarterback since and the Broncos defense needs to keep that lack of confidence a thing next week. If they can get him to commit just one turnover, I think that’ll keep the edge completely in favor of Denver’s D in this game. — Tim Lynch
Own the line of scrimmage
The offense can control the game by running the football and keeping Bo Nix clean. The big guys up front did the work against the Falcons, and that should continue against the Raiders. On defense, the line can make Gardner Minshew wish he was cutting grass instead of being shoved into it. Being disruptive in the backfield, and causing issues in the run game should lead to turnovers, good field position on offense and points. — Adam Malnati
Contain Brock Browers
Bowers went for 8-97-1 in the Week 5 clash with the Raiders and has become the target of choice for Minshew over the last several weeks, clearly apparent from his 13-126-1 line last week against Miami. I fully expect Surtain can shut down Jakobi Meyers on the outside, but some combination of McMillan, linebackers, and safeties — maybe even two of the above — will need to key on the rookie tight end. If the Broncos succeed vs. Bowers, Vegas is going to be hard-pressed to move the ball. — Jonathan Rice
Keep up the creative playcalling
Against the Falcons, Head Coach Sean Payton did a tremendous job of being creative with his playcalling. I thought it was one of the best games he called all season. Pro sets and pistol look, extensive use of motion, and multiple types of screenplays had the Broncos’ offense rolling and firing on all cylinders. Various players at multiple skill positions had their names called and rose to the occasion. The Raiders’ defense is in the top half of the league in rushing and passing yards allowed, but one of the worst-ranked teams in points allowed. That should provide the Broncos’ offense another prime opportunity to keep the momentum going in their favor. — Christopher Hart
What are your keys to Sunday’s game?
DENVER (KDVR) — Two officers, one now formerly of the Denver Police Department, face multiple charges relating to separate incidents in the past two months.
According to a release, now-former Denver Police Officer Gabriel Lucero was issued a citation for third-degree assault, official misconduct and false reporting, while Officer Javon Leach was cited for reckless driving and eluding.
The incident involving Lucero reportedly occurred on May 22 just before 1 a.m. in the 500 block of 16th Street. According to a release, Lucero was involved in an assault at a business, as he allegedly assaulted a person and walked away as others continued to assault the victim.
Security guards and an off-duty officer escorted him and the group out; however, Lucero reportedly identified himself as a Denver police officer and attempted to re-enter by using his police badge.
Lucero reportedly provided a false name without any other information, and further investigation verified Lucero as the person involved. Lucero was hired in 2025 and, due to his current probationary status, was fired as of Wednesday.
The incident involving Leach occurred around 1:41 a.m. on June 21, when Leach was reportedly pulling out of a parking lot on Larimer Street, attempting to drive against traffic.
Leach reportedly refused commands to stop as he left the area. Officials said he was found just seven minutes later, traveling at high speeds northbound on Park Avenue West.
He reportedly fled a traffic stop and continued to drive away, and officials deemed Leach to be the suspect following an investigation. He was placed in an off-line assignment while the case progresses, as they are considered misdemeanors.
“The Denver Police Department’s administrative review of Leach’s incident will begin once the criminal case is adjudicated, and that process includes the Denver Department of Safety and the Office of the Independent Monitor, a civilian oversight agency,” the release said.
Denver Nuggets standout forward Peyton Watson could find himself on another team before you know it.
With the Nuggets reportedly open to a sign-and-trade of Watson, could Denver really lose a core piece to their rotation?
It’s hard to imagine many teams being able to shoulder the financial weight of a Watson contract at this point because of the aprons and such, but he’s absolutely an asset to any contending team.
We’ve gone through and identified a few teams that make sense for Watson in the fall… including the one he’s already on at the moment. Hey, he might stay home, you never know!
The Clippers have been linked to Watson as a possible destination; he could help them immensely.
The Pistons have also been linked to Watson, which would help them a lot to contend for an NBA title.
Look, HYPOTHETICALLY, the Nets could move around some cap space with some player trades and such and get a deal done. They are one of the only teams in the NBA right now not in the negative with cap space.
The Grizzlies are the team with the least amount of negative cap space right now, per Spotrac. If they really wanted to pull off a Watson sign-and-trade… it would be hypothetically possible from a money standpoint.
Denver Nuggts
Look, it’s very possible Watson just stays in Denver on a brand-new deal. Who knows at this point?
DENVER (KDVR) – A Denver Park Hill Resident says trash in her alley hasn’t been picked up by city-run waste collection in more than 2 months.
“It’s starting to be frustrating because that pile has been there 2.5 months, and I’m not kidding about that,” Andrea Sanders-Childs said.
A spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) says they did receive a call about the address on Krameria in mid-June and are investigating the case as ‘illegal dumping’ versus ‘missed collection.’
The DOTI spokesperson says more information will be available when the inspector assigned to the area returns on Wednesday.
Sanders-Childs said that the people who live in the home closest to the mess had actually rented a dumpster; however, it was eventually picked up and towed away.
In the meantime, for Denver residents, DOTI provided FOX31 with the following reminders:
- Carts that are overfilled, stuffed or too heavy cannot be emptied
- All trash must be inside the cart, and overflow trash cannot be collected
- To report illegal dumping, call 311
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