Denver Broncos WR Tim Patrick sends a strong message to division rivals

As the Denver Broncos aim to change the direction of the franchise's losing ways, all eyes are on the offensive side of the ball for Denver in 2023, but in order to make a legitimate run at the playoffs, the Broncos have to focus on two key divisional opponents that have been very difficult obstacles in prior years, to say the least.

The Kansas City Chiefs, who are the reigning super bowl champions, currently have a 15-game winning streak against the Denver Broncos and have a 71-54 record all-time against the team. And while last season felt like it would finally be the year for Broncos fans to celebrate a win over Chiefs Kingdom, the offense fell short both in both matchups, failing to capitalize off takeaways and execute late in-game; a growing theme in meetings between both teams.

As for the Las Vegas Raiders, who many fans deem Denver's biggest rival in franchise history, the team has steadily built a winning streak now defeating the Broncos 6 times in a row. The last time Denver was able to take down the Raiders, the team was located in Oakland. Yikes. You can make the argument that the last time the Broncos executed a convincing win over the Raiders was on New Year's Day in 2017 in which they won by a score of 24-6 with RB Justin Forsett being the team's leading rusher and Connor Cook starting at QB for the Raiders. Point is, it's been a long time.

Broncos will benefit greatly from core offensive players returning to action in 2023 including OT Garett Bolles, RB Javonte Williams and WR Tim Patrick who are considered to be the "glue" to Denver's offense. It is no secret that Broncos players have been extremely frustrated with losing streaks to both divisional rivals and one of which recently happened to be Tim Patrick who is looking to have a huge comeback season with the Chiefs and Raiders on his mind.

Patrick sounded off on the Broncos Avenue Podcast saying "I'm not a fan of the Raiders. I'm not a fan of the Chiefs. [The] Chiefs are cocky little sh*ts. [The] Raiders are a group of fake thugs. I don't like either of them. Just thinking about it pisses me off, honestly." It's pretty fair to say this rivalry isn't just for the entertainment and media side of football, especially when star players like Patrick are voicing their enmity and disesteem for another team.

However, Patrick knows these divisional matchups matter most both for his team and individual success. "I love playing against them (Raiders and Chiefs) because it brings the best out of you. You know it's going to be a dog fight." It is without any doubt that these matchups breed the most competition however, the Broncos need to find a way to come out on the winning side of things and Patrick is preparing for just that. "They're fun game, they got their winning streak right now and we had our down years but that sh*t is over with." If that doesn't get you excited for next season, I'm not sure what will.

Tim Patrick, who hasn't spoken much to the media since suffering a torn ACL late in training camp of 2022, announced on Steve Smith Sr.'s podcast "Cut To It" that he is officially "cleared to do everything." Great news for the 5th year Broncos WR looking to prove his doubters wrong in 2023 under new head coach and play-caller, Sean Payton. While Patrick had back-to-back seasons of over 730 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns, some have expressed their lack of confidence in the WR room due to speculation that Patrick will not be able to return to his past form. On the other hand, Patrick did mention on the Broncos Avenue Podcast that he is "glad the injury happened when it did" because of the amount of recovery time he was been able to comfortably experience rehab and become fully healthy in time for OTAs and training camp.

Ultimately, with the strong connection established with Russell Wilson and a proven play-caller added to the mix, there is no reason to believe Tim Patrick will have just as good of a season as any receiver on the team. Unfortunately for the Chiefs and Raiders, they have been put on notice.