When the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders squared off in Week 10, it wasn’t exactly a highlight reel kind of night. The Broncos escaped with a 10-7 win, but let’s call it what it was - a grind-it-out, defensive slugfest where Denver’s offense never found a real rhythm. And head coach Sean Payton isn’t sugarcoating it.
Meeting with the media ahead of this weekend’s rematch in the desert, Payton didn’t hesitate when asked about facing a familiar opponent for the second time. His first thought? That Thursday night game - and how little went right on the offensive side of the ball.
“I felt like, man, offensively our plan the last time was awful,” Payton admitted. “They’ve done a good job at times defensively. They put us in a pickle last time.”
That “pickle” included rookie quarterback Bo Nix putting up just 150 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception. It was a tough outing for the young signal-caller, who never looked fully comfortable against a Raiders defense that brought pressure and disguised coverages well.
Running back J.K. Dobbins chipped in with 77 yards on the ground, but his night - and possibly his season - was cut short by injury.
The silver lining? Denver’s defense came to play.
They were the reason the Broncos left that game with a win, bottling up the Raiders and holding them to just a single touchdown. But Payton knows that won’t be enough this time around - especially with changes happening on the other sideline.
Las Vegas has undergone a bit of a facelift since that last meeting. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was let go late last month, and with Pete Carroll now at the helm, there’s a different energy - and likely a different game plan - coming from the Raiders.
“I think the difference is, with Pete as a new head coach, and then you had a new offense and then they’ve made a change, so there will be some things they want to do differently,” Payton said. “I’m sure they’ll want to run the ball more.”
That would track. In the previous matchup, Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty was given every opportunity to get going - 19 carries, but only 60 yards to show for it. Still, the volume suggests the Raiders want to establish the run, and with a new offensive direction, Jeanty could be in line for an even heavier workload this Sunday.
For the Broncos, the focus now shifts to redemption - not just winning, but doing it with an offense that looks more in sync, more explosive, and more capable of complementing a defense that’s been carrying the load.
Sometimes, the best thing a coach can do is own it. Payton called the last offensive game plan “awful,” and that honesty speaks volumes. It also sets the tone for what Denver hopes to be a much sharper performance this time around.
The Broncos are still very much in the playoff hunt, and while their defense has been the backbone of this midseason surge, the offense will need to hold up its end of the bargain. Sunday's rematch in Vegas offers the perfect stage to show just how far they've come since that ugly win in Week 10.