A loss during a week like this would be disgraceful
The Denver Broncos will play the Las Vegas Raiders, and I am going to do something I rarely do.
They HAVE TO WIN THIS GAME!
I don’t like to make these bold statements. It’s just football, but like Ian St. Clair and I talked about on Broncos Odds and Endzones, this Raider Week is huge.
It’s alumni week. They will be honoring the 1977 Super Bowl team. They will be honoring Randy Gradishar becoming a hall of famer. They will be inducting Steve Foley and Riley Odoms into the Ring of Fame. Tom Jackson will be in the building (if you don’t get that, do some research). They will be in their gorgeous throwback uniforms.
This game is the most important game I can think of in recent Broncos history. Add into that the fact that Denver has not beat the Raiders since December 29, 2019. That is just completely unacceptable.
And I know that the rivalry has lost a lot of its luster. The Raiders were bad for a long time while Broncos were good. Then the Broncos and Raiders have been bad together
However, this rivalry has been a feature of the NFL for decades. For the Broncos to be carrying a losing streak like this into this game is simply insane.
Now, put all the weight of this week on the shoulders of the current team, and for me, a loss here would be wholly unacceptable.
Brandon Stokley: “I dont care about the losing streak to the Raiders. I’m okay with a pretty loss.”
Me: pic.twitter.com/t37Jxcy7wf
— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) October 3, 2024
And if Brandon Stokely doesn’t get that, why the hell is he even in Denver?
I’m not going to make this about him, but I will make it about the importance of this rivalry. The Broncos had to overcome the power of the Raiders in the 1970s to get to a Super Bowl. They battled with them throughout the decades for the AFC West, and it was a rivalry of hate.
I am a born and raised Raider hater. This game means more to me than it probably should.
Anything less than a win would be offensive.