Broncos sweep Raiders for the first time since 2014 season

Gardner Minshew kicked off his Raiders career with one of the weirdest, most awkward, and somehow fitting photoshoots you have ever seen. It was as if the camera wouldn't stop yelling, "And now a silly one!" It might also perfectly sum up the season the Raiders had against the Broncos, which was incredibly embarrassing.

The Broncos swept the Raiders for the first time since 2014 and won on the road against them for the first time since 2015.

Denver Broncos improve to 7-5, sweep Raiders in 2024 series

The Broncos put up a pair of double-digit wins against their rivals from Sin City, and both wins proved to be pivotal. The Broncos' week five win seemed to cement the Broncos as a solid team, and not the 5.5-win team that the odds makers seemed they would be. In their early victory, a Pat Surtain pick-six turned the tide of the game, and the Broncos would go from down 10-0 to 34-18 victors. The defense would pick off Raiders quarterbacks three times, including a pair from Surtain.

The week five victory was Nix's best offensive game at home yet, crossing the 200-yard threshold, including a pair of touchdowns, and notably absent interceptions. Since then, Nix has only continued to grow as a passer, and the rookie turned in another strong performance in their second win over Las Vagas of the year. Nix went for 273 yards, a pair of touchdowns, and no interceptions in Las Vegas, leading the Broncos to another come-from-behind victory against Vegas. Nix's performance comes as he gains national steam in the Rookie of the Year conversation, and the Broncos are now in an even stronger position for the 2024 NFL playoffs.

As for Las Vegas? Well, their loss to the Broncos in Denver started a streak, but not exactly a great one. The Raiders have now lost seven in a row, have used three different quarterbacks, and are probably starting to look more closely at Shedeur Sanders's tape. Vegas seemed to have a shot this year before the Broncos cut them down in October, and now they are cemented as one of the worst teams in football. Let us not forget to check in on Gardner Minshew, who has now been benched and left injured in his two starts against the Broncos. He might have nightmares of Vance Joseph.

The 2014 Raiders team struggled against John Fox and Peyton Manning, but surely it was the only time Derek Carr got Dennis Allen fired as head coach, right? Right? The Broncos clubbed them, outscoring them 88-31 in two games. This year's iteration of games might not have been as dominating, but the Broncos once again established themselves as the better team over the Raiders, expelling a demon they have had dangling over them for almost a decade now.