Getty Denver Broncos WR Tim Patrick.
Even though the rivalry between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos has been lopsided, with the Raiders winning six straight, it didn’t stop Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick from talking trash.
“I’m not a fan of the Raiders. … [The] Raiders are a group of fake thugs,” Patrick said on the April 2 episode of “Broncos Avenue.” “I don’t like … them. Just thinking about it pisses me off, honestly.”
Of course, Raiders fans don’t need an excuse to go after the Broncos, and after Patrick set himself up for getting dragged, they pounced.
“Who? 😂 and you talking trash in the off-season. Cmon son,” wrote one fan. “At least wait until the season starts…”
Other Raiders Attacked Tim Patrick & the Denver Broncos
Many fans pointed out that Patrick, who missed all of 2022 after tearing an ACL in training camp, hasn’t exactly lit up the stat sheets in games against the Raiders.
“Tim Patrick has averaged less than 40 yards per game and scored only 1TD in 7 games vs the Raiders in his career,” another fan tweeted, adding a crying emoji. In fact, Patrick has played eight games against the Raiders catching only 16 passes for 251 yards.
Others pointed out the Raiders’ current win streak over Denver. The Broncos have technically never beaten the Las Vegas Raiders since they moved from Oakland in 2020.
“Tim Patrick pulled the ‘They’re on a winning streak…BUT,” tweeted one fan.
“How about losing 10 of the last 14 to the #Raiders dating back to 2016? Denver has beaten the Raiders just twice since beating them on September 16, 2018. #SorryNotSorry,” tweeted one fan.
And one fan had a less-specified complaint: “Oh come on, be more original. We’ve heard it all.”
With the season still six months away, Patrick’s comments will give the Raiders some early bulletin board material.
Can Raiders Continue Dominance Over Broncos?
The Broncos and Raiders appear to be headed in different directions. In February, Denver hired Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton, who has never lost double-digit games in a season during his 15-year career with the New Orleans Saints. Payton will try to coax a bounce-back season out of quarterback Russell Wilson, who led the team to a 5-12 record last year.
Still, Denver is “rebuilding with very little capital to build with,” according to a March 1 SB Nation story. And Fox Sports’ Eric Williams wrote on March 17 that the Broncos hope to “rebuild quickly” with Payton looking to “reestablish a winning culture.”
The Raiders, meanwhile, have gotten mixed reviews, with one executive saying the team “has downgraded in every way,” according to The Athletic’s Mike Sando, but a collection of football writers generally approving of Vegas’ offseason moves.
After cutting longtime quarterback Derek Carr, they signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year deal, who could provide a slight upgrade at quarterback, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore.
“There is enough statistical evidence to suggest Garoppolo is capable of providing an upgrade, specifically by raising the level of play in areas that have been problematic for the Raiders for years,” Bonsignore wrote on March 29.
According to an array of football writers, the Raiders have helped themselves out during free agency, getting mostly A’s and B’s, with only one outlet, Sports Illustrated, grading them as low as a B-.