WR Brice Butler hauls in a touchdown pass in the Raiders loss to the Broncos in Oakland in 2014. Photo by Tony Gonzales/Raiders.com.
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The Oakland Raiders renew a rivalry with an old foe and kick off their slate of AFC West games with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos Sunday, Oct. 11, in Oakland. The Silver and Black will make their annual trip to Mile High country in Week 14 for a Sunday, Dec. 13, AFC West showdown. The Week 5 match-up marks the 110th regular season meeting between these two original American Football League franchises.
Unfortunately, since Peyton Manning's arrival in Denver, the Broncos have dominated this series. With Manning at the controls, Gary Kubiak taking over as head coach and Rick Dennison joining the team as offensive coordinator, the Broncos have to be considered a Super Bowl contender.
If the Raiders want to make any noise, they are going to have to win in the division. Winning the division is the team's No. 1 goal.. The first four games of the season notwithstanding, this game kicks off the divisional slate. The Broncos have owned the division the past four years. If the Raiders want to achieve their goal, it has to start with a win over Denver.
T Ryan Clady suffered a season-ending injury during the Broncos offseason program. The key to beating Manning has always been relentless pressure. Linebacker Khalil Mack and the Raiders pass rush will be interesting to watch in this game.
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Photos of the Raiders and Broncos' AFC West rivalry throughout the years.
George Atkinson takes the handoff in a 1973 match-up with the Broncos.
Dokie Williams runs through the Denver defense in a 1984 match-up with Denver.
Charles Woodson and Khalil Mack get ready for the ball to be snapped.
Khalil Mack gets his hands up to try to swap down a pass from Peyton Manning.
Latavius Murray carries the ball and tries to bounce it outside.
Brice Butler hauls in the touchdown pass.
Danny Clark lays a huge hit on the Denver quarterback in 2005.
Lance Johnstone has a chat with some Broncos during a 1999 game.
Check out some of the imagery from the Raiders-Broncos rivalry.
Check out some of the imagery from the Raiders-Broncos rivalry.
Here are some interesting nuggets about the rivalry:*
The Raiders won four in a row at Denver from 2008-11. The last Raiders win in Oakland and last Raiders win in the series came in 2011.
Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski tied a then-NFL record for the longest field goal in NFL history with a 63-yarder at the end of the first half of a 23-20 victory at Denver to open the 2011 season on Monday Night Football.
The Raiders and Broncos have met on Monday Night Football more than any other two teams in the NFL.
Raiders assistant defensive backs coach Rod Woodson returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown against the Broncos in Denver during a 34-10 victory. That plays ranks as the third longest interception return in Raiders history.
Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio is 4-1 against the Broncos.
Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio spent the last three seasons (2012-14) as the Broncos' defensive coordinator, helping them to three straight AFC West titles, two AFC Championship games and an ap¬pearance in Super Bowl XLVIII. Del Rio also accepted the additional role of interim head coach (Weeks 10-13) while John Fox underwent a heart procedure and led the Broncos to a 3-1 record against teams with a combined record of 29-9 (.763).
The Raiders will not face a divisional opponent until Week 5 when they host the Denver Broncos. Last season, the team did not take on an AFC West foe until Week 6.
The Broncos have captured the last four AFC West titles.
The Raiders finished 1-5 against the AFC West in each of the last two seasons. Oakland is seeking its first .500-or-better finish in the divi¬sion since 2011 (3-3).
Since divisional realignment in 2002, the Raiders have posted a win¬ning record in the AFC West twice: 4-2 in 2002 and 6-0 in 2010.
The teams have split their two postseason meetings. The Broncos defeated the Raiders in the 1977 AFC Championship game thanks in part to a controversial non-call of a RB Rob Lytle fumble. The Raiders defeated the Broncos in a 1993 AFC Wild Card game.
In 2005, the Raiders and Broncos played one of the more memorable games in series history on a snow covered field in Denver. WR Ronald Curry made a spectacular one-handed touchdown grab for the go-ahead score and T Langston Walker blocked a K Jason Elam field goal attempt to preserve the 25-24 victory.
The Raiders and Broncos have needed overtimes in eight games to settle their differences.
The Raiders scored a franchise record 59 points in a 2010 win at Denver.
Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave played two seasons at quarterback for the Denver Broncos from 1995-96, starting one game.
Raiders Media Relations contributed to this article.
