The Denver Broncos are one of the hottest teams in the National Football. After six straight victories, the Broncos are now 7-2 on the season and sit atop the AFC West. This week, its divisional rivalry game hosting the Las Vegas Raiders in primetime on Thursday Night Football. Let’s take a deeper look at Denver’s opponent this Thursday and what they need to do in order to achieve victory.
2024 Las Vegas Raiders Season Review
The Antonio Pierce era was short-lived after the Raiders finished 4-13 last season at the bottom of the AFC West. On offense, the Raiders were 29th in points scored and 27 in yards gained. With respect to defense, they were 25th points allowed and 15th in yards against.
2025 Las Vegas Raiders Offseason Additions and Departures
It was a complete coaching staff and front office upheaval for the Raiders this past offseason. Tom Telesco was replaced by John Spytek. With Pierce fired, the Raiders were in the market for a new head coach. They decided to bring in Pete Carroll to try and get things going in the right direction.
To replace Gardner Minshew and Aiden O’Connell at starting quarterback, the Raiders traded for Geno Smith, who knows Carroll’s offense from their time together in Seattle. Given the regime change, it’s no surprise the Raiders had a lot of roster movement. A lot of cuts were made on top of as nearly a dozen players opting for greener pastures. It’s quite clear a lot of retooling needs to be done in order for the Raiders to be competitive in the AFC West.
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders had 11 selections with seven of those being in the Top 150 picks. Spytek is certainly hoping his first draft will be the foundations for future success. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was their top selection. They continued to bolster their offense and selected TCU wide receiver Jack Bech in the second round. With their third-round pick, they added Iowa State corner Darien Porter to bolster a secondary that struggled mightily in ‘24.
Offensive X-Factor: Tight end Brock Bowers
The Raiders are a struggling team but do have some talent on offense worthy of praise. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty undoubtedly has all the tools to be one of the NFL’s most dynamic running backs. He hasn’t hit his stride yet, but still has over 600 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns this season.
At tight end, they have a second-year player that is a nightmare to gameplan against and one of the league’s most dynamic playmakers with the ball in his hands. That’s Brock Bowers. Last year as a rookie, Bowers had 112 catches, 1,194 yards and 5 touchdowns. He was Pro-Bowler, first-team All-Pro, and was in the running for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He has been limited to five games this year due to injury, but last week’s 12 catch, 127 yard and 3 touchdown performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars proves he is their most established playmaker. His ability to line up in various positions and thrive will be the biggest challenge for the Broncos’ defense this week.
How Defensive Coordinator chooses to combat his pass catching ability will be fun to watch. Will Jahdae Barron get a lot of looks going up against him one-on-one? Will we see an uptick in Greenlaw’s reps on the field to help hold Bowers in check? I’m not sure, but they certainly can’t let him have a big game.
Defensive X-Factor: Edge Rusher Maxx Crosby
For the past seven years, Crosby has been the heart and soul of the Raiders defense. He has been their best defender for ages and their clear-cut X-Factor on that side of the ball. In 103 games, he has amassed 64.5 sacks, 118 tackles for loss, and 154 quarterback hits.
There’s a reason he is a four-time Pro-Bowler and two-time All-Pro. He makes plays everywhere. Sacking quarterbacks, blowing up the run game, and even with the athleticism to be dropped into coverage to confuse opposing offense. Crosby does it all.
This year the veteran edge defender already as 32 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 6 passes defended. And yes, that is the highest number of passes defended on the Raiders. The Broncos’ offensive line will need to play at a high level and limit his ability to get after Nix and disrupt Denver’s passing game. He’s easily the player on that side of the ball for them I’m most worried about.
How the Broncos can secure a victory over the Raiders
Division games like this mean everything. Getting their eighth win of the season on Thursday Night Football would be a huge boost for Denver in the race for the best seeding in the playoffs. Most importantly, a divisional win will help them keep a firm grasp on the AFC West and help with any tie breakers.
There are a few things I think need to happen to secure a victory. First? Let’s get some takeaways. The Raiders have turned the ball over 13 times this season and over 15-percent of their drives offense have resulted in a turnover. Denver’s defense has been tenacious to date but haven’t taken the ball away as much Broncos Country would like to see. I’m optimistic we’ll see them force Geno Smith into some bad decisions and have the offense take advantage of them.
Speaking of the offense, I’d like to see Bo Nix play much better. The Raiders’ defense is a mediocre unit at best, and they’ve struggled as of late giving up some touchdowns and yards through the air. The Texans had a good gameplan for Nix, but I feel confident he and Head Coach Sean Payton will find a way to look much better on Thursday.
Hart’s Prediction: Broncos 30, Raiders 17.