Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams.
The Las Vegas Raiders will be opening the season on the road against their hated rival the Denver Broncos. The Raiders currently hold a six-game winning streak over their rival and is the only team in the AFC West they have had consistent success against. Denver is hoping to break their losing streak against Las Vegas and they’ll need some help to do it.
Wide receiver Davante Adams torched the Broncos in two games last season. He had 16 catches for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Making that more impressive is that he did that against First-Team All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II. The young cornerback has established himself as one of the best defenders in the NFL but never he could slow down Adams. The two will finally get a rematch in Week 1 and Surtain isn’t backing down.
He had a chance to talk about Adams and is looking forward to the fight in 2023.
“He’s a technician at what he does,” Surtain said on the May 12 episode of “Up & Adams.” “We battled it out the first year … I’m looking forward to many more battles.”
.@PatSurtainll is ready for round three vs. Davante Adams in Week 1. 👀🍿
📺: @FanDuelTV | @heykayadams
Do Broncos Finally Have Edge Over Raiders?
The Broncos didn’t make many flashy moves in the offseason outside of hiring Sean Payton to be the head coach. However, that’s a significant move. Many believed a big reason for Denver’s downfall last season was poor coaching. Payton is one of the best coaches in the NFL so the team will at least be upgraded in that regard.
For the Raiders, some would argue they downgraded. They released quarterback Derek Carr and replace him with the oft-injured Jimmy Garoppolo. They traded away star tight end Darren Waller and have done little to upgrade the defense. As far as rosters go, the Broncos have much more talent on both sides of the ball. That said, Las Vegas has been less talented in many of their recent matchups and still one. For whatever reason, they still hold the edge over Denver. If the Raiders lose to the Broncos in Week 1, it could be a bad sign of what’s to come the rest of the season.
Can Raiders Compete in the AFC West?
The Broncos have finished last in the AFC West for three straight years now while the Raiders haven’t held that distinction since 2018. Many expect that t0 change in 2023. Las Vegas could field a very good offense this season but there’s no doubt they have the worst defensive personnel in the division. In a division that has a couple of offensive genius head coaches and some of the best quarterbacks in the world, having a bad defense is not a recipe for success.
It’s difficult to get a grasp on this Raiders team. Head coach Josh McDaniels was once regarded as one of the best offensive minds in the NFL but opinions of him as a head coach are very low. He could still prove people wrong and turn the Raiders around but not many are going to believe it until they see it. Until McDaniels starts winning games consistently, it’s going to be difficult to trust him. It’s possible that the Raiders are one of the surprise teams of 2023 but they have a ton of work to do before anybody can have high expectations of them.