The Las Vegas Raiders have an opportunity to win two games in a row and win their first AFC West game of the season.
The Raiders hit the road to face the Denver Broncos on Sunday after a respectable win last week saw their offense play as well as they have all season. Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II noted how well the offense did last week.
“It's huge that all our backs really came and did well,” Minshew said. “The line, I felt like the energy that that gave them the whole game, that energizes the whole offense. When those guys get rolling and feeling it, that's really good for us. So I think the more we can do that, the more we can feed off that, just the easier everything gets."
The Raiders offense will again take the field without All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams and tight end Michael Mayer. However, the Raiders’ offense scoring more points than it had at any point this season with both Adams and Mayer helped build the trust between Minshew and the Raiders’ pass-catchers.
"Yeah, we’ve got a ton of trust in that receiver room, the tight end room, all our skill guys on offense,” Minshew said. “We’ve got a ton of guys that need to get the ball more. So, the better job I could do of that, spreading the ball around. We’ve got the guys to do it, so just continue to do that. Me doing a better job getting the ball in their hands, and I think we'll be better off."
Minshew acknowledged that while all games are important, games within the division are undoubtedly more important than non-divisional games. Minshew noted Pierce and the Raiders coaching staff have emphasized the importance of stealing a victory on the road against the Broncos on Sunday.
"Yeah, a little bit, man," Minshew said. "I mean, it's a huge division game for us. AP [Antonio Pierce] calls it a double-up game. When you can win in your division, that's huge. It's huge for making the playoffs, huge for doing everything we want to do. So excited to get over to Denver and play our best."
The Raiders have already lost one AFC West matchup this season and cannot afford to go 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in the division. It is still early in the season and even with a loss, there would be plenty of time for the Raiders to turn things around.
However, a loss to the Broncos would be another missed opportunity for the Raiders to secure a win. After the story of last season was missed opportunities, the Raiders cannot afford to have a second consecutive season go that way.
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