ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos invited their legends back to Mile High Stadium this weekend.
Why?
Because they played the Raiders.
“Don’t talk to me if you think they’re going to lose because we are going to win,” Steve Foley said before the game.
Foley, 70, was an All-Pro cornerback for the Denver Broncos. The team inducted him into its Ring of Fame on Sunday, alongside his teammate, tight end Riley Odoms, 74.
Foley said the honor hadn’t fully sunk in.
“I don’t think it’ll fully hit me until we see us beat the Raiders today—thrash them—kind of like what we started to do and did all throughout my tenure with the Broncos,” Foley said.
Foley is from a generation of Raider haters.
During halftime, Foley and Odoms were honored. Their names were unveiled in the Ring of Honor. They were joined at midfield by some of the teams other Ring of Famers and a couple dozen of their teammates from the 1977 Broncos team.
That team was the first in Broncos history to reach the Super Bowl. It did so by beating the Raiders in the AFC Championship Game. That win propelled the Broncos to new heights, turning the page to a generation of success.
Beating the Raiders was an important part of turning the page.
Prior to the 1977 season, the Broncos had only won two of their previous 28 meetings with the Raiders, the reigning Super Bowl champions at the time.
During their speeches, both Foley and Odoms spent as much time talking about beating the Raiders as they did anything else.
“Let’s finish the Raiders off,” Foley said to close his speech.
The Broncos—who wore their 1977 throwback uniforms on Sunday, whose mascot drove a 1977 Ford Bronco onto the field pregame, whose field was painted in 1977 style and whose video board used a 1977 theme—were in position to finish the Raiders off thanks to a Pat Surtain II pick six.
Prior to the game, Surtain swapped signed jerseys with legendary Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey.
“That was pretty legendary to say the least,” Surtain said. “I had to capitalize on the opportunities I could get. I had to make that pick six happen and got another blessing with another pick as well too, so that jersey swap was legendary. That’s something that I have always wanted to have.”
The Surtain interception tied the game at 10 points apiece. By halftime, the Broncos had a 13-10 lead. In the second half, the Broncos thrashed the Raiders just as Foley had hoped. Denver only ran seven of its 32 offensive plays on its own side of the field. Las Vegas only reached midfield once in its six second-half possessions.
The Broncos won 34-18, in true 1977 fashion.
And just like the 1977 team, the Broncos took a monkey off their back: Before Sunday, the Broncos had lost eight consecutive games to the Raiders.
But there was a difference: The current Broncos don’t seem to hate the Raiders like past generations do.
Head coach Sean Payton believes winning home games is important. He believes winning divisional games is important. A home game against a divisional opponent is especially important.
“We talked about that during the week. We have to capitalize on playing well here. That was one of the things we discussed,” Payton said. “The Raiders thing, not so much.”
Right guard Quinn Meinerz, a captain for the first time this season, agreed that playing the Raiders didn’t add any unique dynamic.
“It felt like a divisional game,” Meinerz said. “Every divisional game is a rivalry game.”
The Raiders are no different?
“Nope.”
Cornerback Riley Moss said the game was similar to others.
“You’ve gotta come into the game the same way no matter the team,” Moss said. “I know there’s tradition behind this game.”
He added that he prefers the rivalry remains low-key.
“If we take care of business,” Moss said, “there’s no reason it should be a rivalry.”
But rookie quarterback Bo Nix said his debut in the rivalry felt different than other games.
“You could definitely tell during the game the intensity,” he said. “It was very high, both teams were playing hard. It was a physical football game going back-and-forth there at the beginning.”
Part of the difference was audible.
“Our crowd helped us in the second half,” Nix said. “They were huge.”
The current iteration of the rivalry is stale. The results have been one-sided and the games rarely held significant stakes since both teams have struggled in the past decade or so.
While current players may not remember the era of hatred, the fans certainly do. They grew up hating the Raiders. They still hate the Raiders. That hatred showed in the form of the most raucous crowd at Mile High in the Sean Payton Era.
Nix had heard rumors of the noise, but he hadn’t experienced it until Sunday.
“That’s what I was expecting coming here,” the rookie said. “That was outstanding. It’s huge when you can get a homefield advantage like that.”
But the rivalry wasn’t the only reason fans were passionate.
Broncos Country has more hope than its had since any current player joined the team.
The Raiders’ eight-game win streak is over.
The Chiefs’ 16-game win streak over the Broncos ended last season.
If the playoffs began this week, the Broncos would have the top wild card spot in the AFC.
The Broncos have an opportunity next week to improve to 4-2 with a home win over the Chargers. They haven’t been two games over .500 that late in a season since 2016.
All of Denver’s goals are in front of them.
And Nix, the rookie who wore a throwback John Elway jersey to the game, is at the center of the Broncos’ success.
“We give them something to cheer about, and they’re loud the whole game,” Nix said.
Did the 2024 Broncos steal a page out of the 1977 team’s book and begin a new chapter with a much-needed win over the Raiders?