The Broncos have an opportunity to finish the season with a winning record for the first time since 2016. Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.
Live updates
Pre-game updates
Scouting report (10:24 a.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Raiders in Ryan McFadden’s scouting report.
Game predictions
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Raiders 20, Broncos 17
The Broncos are aiming at nine wins and a 4-2 mark in the division rather than the playoffs. Sean Payton says the team is approaching Week 18 just like the team has to win to get into the postseason. Maybe that’ll happen, but the Raiders have won seven straight in this series and are tougher under interim coach Antonio Pierce.
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Broncos 21, Raiders 14
From starting the season at 1-5 to Sean Payton benching Russell Wilson, the Broncos will end their season on a high note, securing a winning season for the first time since 2016. Jarrett Stidham will perform well enough to stay in the running for Denver’s starting quarterback spot in 2024.
Mark Kiszla, columnist: Broncos 34, Raiders 16
Friends of Sean Payton told us the offense flowed better without Russell Wilson against the Chargers, despite the meager output on the scoreboard. So with one game under his belt, certainly “Sparky” Stidham can lead the Broncos to their highest point production of the season. Right?
Matt Schubert, sports editor: Raiders 20, Broncos 16
Maxx Crosby and Josh Jacobs have consistently been a thorn in Denver’s side during their time with the Raiders. That will again be the case Sunday against former teammate Jarrett Stidham and a Denver run defense that still is far from good. Denver’s string of losing seasons moves to seven.
Broncos-Raiders NFL Week 18: Must-reads
Pat Surtain II has cemented himself as one of the best cornerbacks in NFL. At some point soon, Broncos will have to pay him as such
It didn’t take long during the Broncos’ training camp in 2021 for Christian Parker to realize Pat Surtain II could be special.
A rookie at the time, Surtain had never played any reps at nickel because Parker, in his first year as a defensive backs coach in Denver, didn’t want to overwork him. But when former Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan was forced to exit practice with an injury, Parker moved Surtain over to nickel. One snap later, Surtain recorded an interception.
Three seasons later, Surtain has proven Parker’s intuition correct. With a rare blend of size (6-foot-2, 202 pounds), athleticism (4.46 seconds in 40-yard dash) and football smarts, Surtain has become one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. The 23-year-old was named a first-team All-Pro in 2022 and selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl on Wednesday — with even more All-Pro nods expected, Ryan McFadden reports. Read the full story.
Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham on two-game starting stint: “I’m not looking at it as an audition”
When Sean Payton talks about quarterbacks, he often talks about accruing, “flight miles.” Translation: Real, live action. Russell Wilson had that in spades over 12 years and 188 regular-season games as a starter.
Jarrett Stidham entered his first start for the Broncos on Sunday with only two others under his belt, which came last year for Las Vegas. The 69 offensive snaps in a 16-9 win against the Los Angeles Chargers, then, provided critical time at the plane’s controls.
Payton said Monday that, like any player, Stidham’s performance over the final two weeks factor into the evaluation of the team’s future. That’s of particular importance for Stidham considering the likelihood that Denver and Wilson part ways this offseason and the quarterback job here gets thrown wide open, Parker Gabriel reports. Read the full story.
Kiszla: Just lose, baby. If Broncos want best shot to make playoffs next season, winning in Las Vegas is bad idea
Just lose, baby. If Broncos coach Sean Payton is such a football genius, we need to know: Will Payton cut off his stubborn nose to spite his arrogant face?
“We’re trying to win them all,” Payton insists. “We’re trying to win every game we’re playing.”
As insufferable as Payton can be in victory, he’s even more miserable in defeat. But in their NFL season finale against duh hated Rai-duhs, the team that Dirty Al Davis built, your beloved Broncos should be of one mind and a single mantra: Just lose, baby, Mark Kiszla writes. Read the full column.
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