Las Vegas @ Denver preview
Empower Field at Mile High
Last Meeting ( Jan 7, 2024 ) Denver 14, Las Vegas 27
Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce isn't paying any attention to outside noise as he tries to get his team ready for a meeting with the host Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Multiple media outlets reported Tuesday that star wide receiver Davante Adams told the Raiders (2-2) that he wants to be traded. Adams will be sidelined again on Sunday due to a hamstring injury that kept him out of Las Vegas' 20-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns last week.
Pierce added another layer to the situation when he liked an Instagram post that said it wouldn't be surprising if Adams' days in Las Vegas were over. Whether Pierce meant to give out the like is unknown. When asked about it, all he said was, "Yeah, I'm focused on Denver."
Pierce added of the contest against the Broncos (2-2), "That's my only focus. I get paid here to get ready each and every week for the opponent. I don't blink. I don't flinch. I've said it before: I've been through enough in my life with adversity and stuff that it doesn't bother me. I just move forward.
"The next obstacle in front of me is the Denver Broncos, and that's what I presented to my team."
Denver poses quite the obstacle, boasting one of the best defenses in the league through the first four weeks of the season. The Broncos allow the third-fewest points per game (13.8) and third-fewest passing yards per game (146.0), which could spell trouble for an Adams-less Raiders offense.
One player who could see an expanded role for Las Vegas is rookie tight end Brock Bowers. While he has yet to find the end zone, the first-round pick out of Georgia is second among all tight ends in receptions (20) and receiving yards (216). He is coming off his quietest game as a pro, as he caught only two balls for 19 yards against the Browns.
With the help of its defense, Denver will try to snap an eight-game losing streak against Las Vegas that dates back to 2020. It's a skid that doesn't intimidate Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton.
"We've got a big game Sunday," Sutton said. "The most important game is the one we're about to get ready to go play. Whatever happened in the past is the past. The thing we can focus on is this team we have right now and the team we're about to go play this year."
Sutton hauled in three catches for 60 yards and was responsible for the only touchdown scored by either side in Denver's 10-9 win over the New York Jets last Sunday.
Denver rookie Bo Nix completed 12 of 25 passes for 60 yards and the score -- his first career touchdown pass -- against the Jets, and he is looking forward to his first taste of the rivalry between the Broncos and Raiders.
"I don't think you really truly understand it, I think, until you play in your first one," Nix said. "I'm excited to play Sunday. I know it's important for this organization."
Las Vegas enters the game short-handed, as six players were ruled out on Friday due to injuries. The players unavailable on Sunday include Adams, running back Zamir White (groin), right tackle Thayer Munford Jr. (knee, ankle), linebacker Luke Masterson (knee), safety Trey Taylor (knee) and cornerback Decamerion Richardson (hamstring).
In addition, Raiders tight end Michael Mayer will be absent due to personal reasons for a second straight week. Defensive end Maxx Crosby (ankle) was listed as questionable.
The Raiders placed Masterson on injured reserve on Saturday, signed defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson from the practice squad to the active roster and designated running back Sincere McCormick and wide receiver Alex Bachman as game-day elevations.
Broncos running back Tyler Badie, who sustained a back injury against the Jets, was the only Denver player to miss practice on Friday. He already was ruled out for the game when the team placed him on injured reserve on Saturday. Denver elevated inside linebacker Levelle Bailey from the practice squad.
--Field Level Media