The Denver Broncos have swept the Las Vegas Raiders in each of the last two seasons. For a while there, the Broncos actually struggled big-time against Las Vegas for some reason, but that really hasn't been the case in the Bo Nix era.
And while the Raiders could be going in the right direction after what appears to be a strong offseason, the Broncos are in a spot where they simply cannot lose to a bottom-5 team like this. Denver is good enough to win the Super Bowl this year, so even dropping one game could totally throw things off when it comes to playoff seeding.
Had the Broncos lost one more game in 2025, they'd have not clinched the No. 1 playoff seed, for example. Well, a latest major update out of Raiders camp seems to indicate that the Broncos could continue being in a good spot to beat Las Vegas.
The Denver Broncos could continue to tee off against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026
Here's the situation with Raiders' right tackle DJ Glaze, courtesy of Levi Dombro at Just Blog Baby and Sam Warren of The Athletic:
"The right tackle has had trouble with the Raiders’ pass rushers, as Crosby and Malcolm Koonce have had sacks against him. Pressure has noticeably been stronger from Glaze’s side as compared to Kolton Miller on the left. Crosby also got by Glaze on Sunday for a run stop of Ashton Jeanty."
Dombro continued:
"ESPN's Ryan McFadden also noted that Glaze has endured some lumps in the run game as well, with Crosby swerving past him to make some run stops. Glaze's troubles continued in pads on Sunday when he gave up another sack and continued to let Crosby wreck the Raiders' offensive momentum.
After giving up 10 sacks during his second NFL season, according to Pro Football Focus, which was the second-most in the league, Glaze should be on the hot seat. This is a make-or-break season for him, and it is a shame that he seems to be the only player on the roster not competing for his spot."
Glaze is entering his third year in the NFL and has started all but three games through two seasons. While he has been a full-time starter, he hasn't been a good one. PFF graded him as the 65th-rated tackle last year out of 89 qualified players, and this is simply an issue that Vegas has to correct.
Broncos fans should know all about this, though, as the team struggled at right tackle and pretty much had a new face at the position each year before they signed Mike McGlinchey to a five-year deal back in 2023.
The Broncos notched 10 sacks in their two matchups against the Raiders in 2025. Furthermore, with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins slated to start for the team, Denver's pass-rush could have a day against Cousins, who simply isn't a mobile quarterback and is much less mobile than Geno Smith, who quarterbacked the Raiders during the 2025 season.
The Raiders are still a flawed team on offense, as the wide receiver room might be the worst in the NFL, and the offensive line still appears to be a work in progress, which makes it very unsurprising that Fernando Mendoza is just about entrenched as the backup.
Las Vegas would be stunting his development in this league by throwing him out as the starter in this division. Now, all of this doesn't mean that the Raiders can't be a formidable team in 2027, but for the time being, the Broncos should be able to have their way against their AFC West foe.
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