After an overtime loss in Week 9 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Las Vegas Raiders face a quick turnaround as they prepare to take on the Denver Broncos on “Thursday Night Football” to kick off Week 10.
This matchup will also feature Raiders head coach Pete Carroll facing a familiar opponent in Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Carroll and Payton have met several times in the NFC when Payton was coaching the New Orleans Saints. While the playoffs may seem like an afterthought for the struggling 2-6 Raiders, the Broncos currently sit atop the AFC West with a strong 7-2 record.
Denver enters this contest as the favorite, but when it comes to divisional games, records often don’t tell the full story—a fact the Silver and Black should keep in mind.
### Carroll on Facing Sean Payton
Ahead of the game on November 6, Carroll was asked about the challenges of coaching against Payton.
“He’s always been a really well-schooled group that he coaches,” Carroll told reporters on November 3. “They’ve always had a good attitude about running the football, physical, and they were down here running a team, don’t mind working the perimeter, all of that. You think of all the years with Drew Brees, you think of him as a passing guy, but they weren’t.
“When you played against him, they always had a real good conscience about running the football. So he’s got a really good mix. We’ve seen him for years utilize his personnel in unique ways that fit their style. There’s nothing about his game that isn’t on point. He’s smart, he’s aggressive, he’s consistent. They take care of the football. They’ve been doing that for a long time. That’s what’s made him consistently successful, I think.”
### Brock Bowers Talks Raiders’ Loss to Jaguars
If the Raiders want a bounce-back win and hope to upset the Broncos, one player who will need to replicate his Week 9 performance is tight end Brock Bowers.
Bowers recorded an outstanding 12 receptions for 127 receiving yards and three touchdowns against the Jaguars. Despite his impressive individual stats, Bowers was candid about the frustration of returning to the field in a losing effort.
“It’s not a great feeling,” Bowers said postgame (h/t Vegas Sports Today). “You want to come back in here and celebrate with the guys. It sucks. You can’t celebrate anything. I think we’re definitely still working on finding that identity, especially now that we’re getting everyone back to full strength. So I’m just excited to see what the rest of the year holds.”
### Geno Smith Happy to Have His Favorite Target Back
With Bowers back on the roster, Raiders quarterback Geno Smith once again had a reliable option over the middle, frequently targeting the young tight end throughout the contest. Bowers rewarded that trust with a stellar performance.
“He’s one of the best players on our team, one of the best players in the NFL,” Geno Smith said postgame (h/t Raiders.com). “He just makes my job so easy; he does everything so well. He made some phenomenal catches today.
“A lot of those catches a lot of guys don’t make. You can just see his impact on the game when he’s out there. He’s such a dynamic player. At one point, they were double-teaming him, triple-teaming him trying to stop him and that just opens the field for the rest of the guys.”
As the Raiders prepare to face the Broncos, much will depend on players like Bowers replicating their standout performances and the team embracing the challenge presented by a top AFC West rival.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/las-vegas-raiders/pete-carroll-blunt-broncos-sean-payton/
