With two games to go, the playoff picture has begun taking shape, but this Monday Night Football matchup will feature two teams that are on the outside looking in. The Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders have both been eliminated from the playoffs and are likely looking ahead at the upcoming draft, but that doesn’t mean this matchup of AFC West rivals won’t be fun to watch. Both teams came into the season with high hopes that their new pieces, head coach Jon Gruden for Oakland and quarterback Case Keenum for Denver, would lead them to success, but the results have been disappointing in their first years at the helm. While some may feel the teams may be better off losing to get a higher draft pick, it’s unlikely either side will be willing to take a loss against their division rival.
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The Denver Broncos, at 6-8, have no chance at the playoffs, after losing two games in a row to the lowly San Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns (who are somehow mathematically, if not realistically, still alive in the postseason hunt). But the Broncos can still finish with a .500 record if it wins out, with games against the Raiders and the streaking Los Angeles Chargers to close out the season. Case Keenum has so far not paid off for the Broncos, following his big season in Minnesota with a lackluster campaign in Denver, with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions so far this season. One bright star in Denver’s season has been rookie Phillip Lindsay, who has racked up 991 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, enough to put him in the discussion for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and a spot in the Pro Bowl – the first undrafted offensive player to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
“I am so blessed,” Lindsay wrote in an Instagram post. “It is a tremendous honor and I am so thankful to all of Broncos Country for supporting and believing in me this season.”
The Oakland Raiders saw their playoff hopes dashed early in the season, but has recently enjoyed playing the role of spoiler. The Raiders picked up their third win of the season two weeks earlier with a 24-21 upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but couldn’t string together wins, with the Raiders falling to the Cincinnati Bengals last week, 30-16. Quarterback Derek Carr has had a decent campaign, throwing 19 touchdowns to eight interceptions, but it is still a far cry from where many fans believe he should be at this stage of this career. He has not received much help either, with running back Doug Martin leading the team’s ground game with 516 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The defense may be missing cornerback Gareon Conley, who has been having a breakout season.
The rivalry dates back to the early days of the AFL, with the Broncos winning the first-ever matchup in October 1960, 31-14. The Raiders lead the all-time series, 62-52-2, but the Broncos have won three of the last four, including the first leg of the rivalry this season, 20-19.
