In a meeting between two classic AFC rivals, the 2-6 Las Vegas Raiders will be hitting the road to take on the 7-2 Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. The Broncos are in the middle of a six-game winning streak, which is tied with the New England Patriots for the longest win streak of the season. Meanwhile, the Raiders are 1-6 since their Week One victory over the Pats.

Las Vegas suffered an incredibly tough loss on Sunday, falling to the Jacksonville Jaguars in overtime, 30-29. After scoring a touchdown in OT, head coach Pete Carroll decided to go for the two-point conversion and the win. Unfortunately, quarterback Geno Smith's pass attempt was batted down at the line of scrimmage as the Jags held on for the victory.

“I didn't even feel like it was much of a decision at all. I thought, ‘Let's go for the win. Let's win the game,’” Pete Carroll told reporters during Sunday’s postgame press conference. “Tyler (Lockett) was wide open in the back of the end zone, and the play was perfect, and they tipped the ball. I didn't see who tipped it. I couldn't see that. I'm looking at Tyler. I think he catches it to win the game. I thought we won the game… It was exactly right. We just got the ball knocked down.”

What's really disappointing is how well Vegas played in the first half of that game. They actually had a 6-3 lead going into halftime. However, the defense fell apart in the second half and overtime, giving up 27 points to a Jaguars squad that has only averaged 22 points per game this season.

“Well, there's not many opportunities to do any tackling this week. We have to make sure that we're reminded about the fundamentals and how it got away from us a little bit. It just was a factor in the game,” Carroll said during a November 3rd interview. “We played really good defense in the first half. We had them shut down from nothing. And then the second half, we just kind of gave up some plays, a couple explosives here and there, and they did a nice job executing, and they were able to get their scores. We matched it throughout. I thought the offense played a terrific football game. But, unfortunately, we didn't catch that last ball and get that thing connected.”

If the Raiders want to have any shot at winning tonight's game, they are going to have to protect Geno Smith and keep him upright. That'll be difficult to do against a Denver defense that leads the league in sacks with 40 on the season (an average of almost 4.5 sacks per game).

“This is a really good team, now. They're good all the way across the board,” Carroll said. “Their defense is very fast, plays very fast, plays aggressively, a lot of man-to-man. They're trying to cover you up and lock you down. [A] really good four-man rush with a good pressure package to go along with it. They're hot as can be right now. We're taking ‘em on. We're going to go get them and see if we can get a win.”

The Broncos are coming off a close contest of their own. They nailed a game-winning 34-yard field goal to down the Houston Texans 18-15 for their sixth straight win. Though Denver head coach Sean Payton didn't sound thrilled with his team's performance, he'll always take a win when everything is said and done.

“Obviously, another good win,” Payton said during Sunday’s postgame press conference. “We felt going in, this game was going to be, obviously, a different type of game than we played a week ago. And look, we did just enough things to come out of here with a win. They're very good on defense. We - despite being minus two in the turnovers - got the W, and we'll go from there.”

After a thrilling last-second victory, the Broncos will need to put that win behind them to prepare for a divisional game against a longtime rival. Even though he's only in his second season in the NFL, Denver quarterback Bo Nix knows how important these divisional matchups are, regardless of the opponent's record.

“These are the ones that have the most weight to them. These are the ones that you’ve got to go in there and win to set yourself up for the playoffs,” Nix said on Tuesday. “As a team, these are the most important for us. Obviously, [the] organization, and city, and fans [have] been playing these teams for a long time. A lot of rivalries, and these are the fun ones. It's like playing a conference game in college. These are the ones that you look forward to. These are why you're a Bronco: to beat teams like this. But just like all the other ones, it's not going to be easy. We're going to have to play really good. It'll be a fun Thursday Night Football environment.”

The Raiders' offense has underwhelmed this season, averaging 16.5 points per game (29th in the league). But with First-Team All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers back in the lineup, the Broncos will have to focus a lot of their efforts on stopping him, especially after a 127-yard, three-touchdown performance last week.

“He's special. Obviously, last year, the first game we played him, he kind of hurt us a little bit. A couple big plays. And the second time we played him, we put Patrick (Surtain) on him. He's that kind of a player,” explained defensive coordinator Vance Joseph on Tuesday. “Watching this year, obviously, his healthiest and best game was last week, unfortunately for us. He had a big game again. He has got the size and the speed of an NFL receiver but the size of a tight end. The toughest job with him is getting him tackled. You can kind of cover him with a safety or defensive back body, but can you get him on the ground after he catches the ball… Having a great plan to kind of get him rerouted early and just keep the coverage top-down on him is going to be important to win the game.”

Even though the Raiders are having another down year, Sean Payton knows that anything can happen week-to-week in the National Football League.

“I think that there's a fine line between a groove and a rut, and we see it each weekend,” Payton told reporters on November 4th. “There's a game that unfolds, and you thought, ‘How'd that happen?’ Carolina went into Green Bay last week [and won]. Green Bay is a good football team. Carolina's certainly a good team, but this is different than college.”

Prediction for Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos (-9)

The Raiders stink, and the Broncos are good. There isn't much more to this. Vegas doesn't have the offensive linemen to contain Denver's top-ranked pass rush. Simultaneously, Bo Nix has been on a tear recently with ten passing touchdowns over his last five games. The Raiders simply lack the playmakers needed in the secondary to limit his production. Denver should have an easy time securing the win.

Prediction: Broncos 29 - 16 Raiders

How to watch Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos (-9)

Raiders @ Broncos starts at 8:15 p.m. EDT at Empower Field at Mile High. You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video.

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