The Las Vegas Raiders are heading into Week 14 with a mountain to climb - and the Denver Broncos are waiting at the summit. Riding an eight-game winning streak and sitting pretty at 10-2, Denver is arguably playing its best football in years. The Raiders, meanwhile, are limping back home after a tough road stretch, still trying to find consistency in a season that’s been marred by injuries and a roster that simply hasn’t come together.
The matchup is lopsided on paper. Denver’s defense is clicking - fast, physical, and opportunistic - while Las Vegas has struggled to generate much rhythm offensively.
The Raiders' defense, for all its grit and effort, has been stretched thin. And while they’ve had moments - including a strong showing against these same Broncos in Week 10 - the unit hasn’t been able to sustain high-level play consistently.
But what really turned heads this week came not from the field, but from the podium. Broncos head coach Sean Payton offered a colorful analogy when asked about Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby - and in doing so, managed to throw a little shade at the rest of the Las Vegas defense.
Payton, known for his sharp football mind and the occasional jab, likened Crosby to a full-grown man playing against sixth graders - a nod to his time coaching his son’s youth football team during his 2012 suspension.
“When you're playing other sixth graders, there's two or three that have matured. It's a unique age.
It's sixth grade,” Payton said. “I had the DVDs of the opponents, and there was always that one kid that could destroy the game.
It's the same as Maxx Crosby. There's one kid that drove to practice with a beard, and the rest of them are all sixth grade.
So, how do we make sure this kid doesn't ruin the game?”
It was a tongue-in-cheek moment, but the message was clear: Crosby is a game-wrecker, and the rest of the Raiders' defense? Not so much - at least in Payton’s eyes.
Now, analogies are just that - analogies. But when you're an NFL player being compared to middle schoolers, you don’t need a motivational speech to get fired up. For a defense that’s been fighting to earn respect all season, this is the kind of comment that ends up plastered on the locker room wall.
And here’s the thing: the Raiders’ defense did show up the last time they faced Denver. In Week 10, they held the Broncos to a season-low 10 points and just 220 total yards.
Bo Nix, who’s been steady throughout his rookie campaign, threw two interceptions - one of only two games this season where he’s turned the ball over multiple times. The Raiders also limited Denver to just 84 rushing yards, the third-lowest mark for the Broncos this year.
So while Payton’s comments might’ve been said in jest, they’ve added a little extra spice to a divisional matchup that already carries plenty of weight. The Raiders may be underdogs, but they’ve shown they can punch up - especially when Crosby is playing like the All-Pro force he is.
The challenge now? Replicate that Week 10 performance - and maybe use Payton’s beard-and-sixth-graders analogy as fuel. Because if there’s one thing NFL players never forget, it’s a slight - even one wrapped in humor.
The Broncos are rolling, no doubt. But the Raiders have a chance to remind everyone that games aren’t played on paper - and that even sixth graders can hit back.