Ultimate Fan: Time to send the Raiders home as Losers

This weekend's throwback game against the Raiders, harkening back to the 1977 AFC Championship Game, could not be a better backdrop for hosting the Raiders at Mile High on Sunday.

And that means a UFG to talk about it also could not be better.

SickBoy67 became a fan because of the 1977 Broncos, so it is only appropriate that he is helping us get hyped for this game against the Raiduhs — the team that is the most hated AFC West rival for any Broncos fan from the 70s and 80s.

After two rather improbable wins on the road and donning some sweet threads, young Bo Nix and swaggy Pat Surtain are ready to make this rivalry relevant again.

Let's hope Tom Jackson's famed comment rings true when the clock hits 00:00 on Sunday — "It's all over, fat man!"

Week 5: Raiders at BroncosMHR – Whew! Broncos are coming home 2-2 after a somewhat unbelievable 2-0 road trip. Thoughts on the Jets game? And on the first "quarter" of the season so far? Has it gone as expected? SickBoy67: The Jets game was an out-and-out slog. If you had told me beforehand that the final score would be 10-9 in those conditions, I wouldn't have been surprised. That we were the winners, I definitely would have, though. Nothing went right for the offense in the first half while the fire hose was still on, but the running game got unstuck in the second half. It was nice to see Bo get his first passing TD as well. Defense played lights out again, and special teams were largely good. In terms of where we are at the quarter pole, I'm happy with the record. We're 2-1 on the road right now, and the teams we beat had a combined 5-1 record before facing us. The teams we lost to are a combined 6-2. I thought that the offense would be farther ahead by now, and the defense would be farther behind. We're seeing growth, so I like that.

MHR - Before we talk Broncos-Raiders football, how great are those throwback uniforms? The Broncos are painting the field and keeping a 1977 AFCG theme for the weekend...how cool is that? What is your favorite memory of the Orange Crush? SickBoy67: I do love those classic unis because that's what the Broncos were wearing when I first became a fan. That being said, I don't want to move back to them permanently. I love that we can see them twice a year, but let's move forward. The new ones are growing on me. As to the Orange Crush defense, well that's why I became a fan. I don't know if I have a single memory that stands out. For me, it's just remembering seeing some of those great players battering the opposing offenses. Seeing guys like Alzado, Gradishar, Jackson, Wright, Foley, Meck, Jones, Fletcher, Smith, and so many others play at such a high level was magic. As a kid, I didn't always know what I was seeing, but I knew it was special.

MHR - Weather was a problem last week for the offense but when it dried up, Bo Nix looked much better. Does that give you confidence that he's on the right trajectory as a rookie QB? What would you like to see from him specifically this Sunday? SickBoy67: I think, in some ways, we have to throw last week out of the evaluation. Even Rodgers struggled in the torrential rain. That being said, Bo is going to have to find a way to be more effective than that the next time he's in a similar situation. I'm still confident in him. I'd like to see more of what we saw in Tampa. Settle down, use more of the field, and focus on the foot work.

MHR - Nix seems to still be finding a favorite receiver but he and Courtland Sutton had a good touchdown drive together last week. Do you think this will become a strong duo? How about Josh Reynolds and Troy Franklin? SickBoy67: I think Reynolds had an off week, so I think he'll look better on Sunday. With Franklin, I think it's him and Bo having to adjust to working together in a much faster environment than they did in college. I like that Payton keeps putting him out there, and I think he'll have a game where it finally all clicks. It's coming.

MHR - The Broncos' running game finally looked competent last week and Javonte Williams showed he can "see" the holes. How important will he and Jaleel McLaughlin be this week? SickBoy67: They will be hugely important. Payton needs to dial up some of the intermediate and deep stuff for Bo like he did at the start of the Tampa game. Hopefully, that will keep the defense honest enough not to stack the box. If the running game gets going, everything else should fall into place.

MHR - Maxx Crosby is questionable to play on Sunday, and he is a perennial problem. How good is it for Nix and the O-line if he's out on Sunday? What do you expect from this offensive line against the Raiders defense? SickBoy67: If Crosby's out, I expect good things from the offensive line. Nobody else in the Raider front seven scares me. As a unit, they're not nearly as good as the one we just faced. Crosby, on the other hand, is Broncos kryptonite. Hoping he really does sit this one out.

MHR - Ultimately it's probably our defense that can win this again. Can Vance Joseph's defense can outsmart Getsy's offense? Or are we still on the losing end of this AFC West matchup? SickBoy67: Joseph's unit should have the edge here. The one wildcard is the Raider tight ends. Our defense hasn't had to face any really good ones yet, so I'm curious to see if Vance has an answer.

MHR - The one skill player who might give the Broncos' defense some trouble is rookie tight end Brock Bowers. The Broncos haven't been tested too much with a strong TE yet this season and haven't generally been great when up against one. How do you think this linebacker core and secondary will do against Bowers? SickBoy67: Well, I guess I should have read ahead. I really don't know how this is going to go. Barton is supposed to be more of a coverage backer, but I read somewhere in the offseason that he wasn't that great at it. It could be something the safeties help out a lot with.

MHR - The Broncos' defensive pressure has been relentless, especially the last two weeks. Between the defensive line and the edge rushers, quarterbacks have been stopped. How do you like what VJ has been doing and what would you like to see in terms of pressure, blitz and disguise this weekend? SickBoy67: More of the same. It reminds me a bit of Wade Phillips' defenses, except it's more blitz happy. I think the corners are showing that they're sticky enough to give the rushers time to get home. The line's also stout enough against the run that the Raiders won't be able to lean on that as a counter.

MHR - The Broncos' run defense has been solid, and Zamir White hasn't lit the world on fire for the Raiders rushing attack. Even if it's more Alexander Mattison, how do you expect this to go? SickBoy67: I think it will be a steady dose of Mattison since White is basically sliding down the depth chart. But it doesn't matter who, really. I think Vance's defense will shut the door.

MHR - No Davante Adams. How much do you think PS2 is salivating right now over his opportunities? SickBoy67: A ton. A guy like Surtain likes to match himself up against the best, but that won't be in the cards this time. I expect him and the other corners to lock things down. Again, the only element of the Raiders offense that makes me nervous is the tight ends.

MHR - Which ONE player on offense and ONE player on defense has to be an MVP on Sunday for this game to end with a check in the W column? SickBoy67: On offense, I would say Sutton, which by extension also means at least a decent afternoon for Nix. On defense, I'm going to say Zach Allen. He's been so disruptive this season, and it allows the guys around him to shine. He's the straw that stirs the drink.

MHR - What is one word to describe the season so far? What one word do you hope describes it the rest of the season? SickBoy67: Growth. We're seeing it in a big way from the defense and special teams, and it's coming in baby steps from the offense. I'll give you two words for the rest of the season: competence and consistency. If we have those, we'll win games and be well positioned for even bigger things next year.

MHR - This Sunday the Broncos have an opportunity to do something they haven't done since 2019 — beat the hated Raiders. How important is that for the franchise as much as for the W-L record and standing in the division? How important is it to do on "Orange Crush Sunday?" SickBoy67: It's huge. We got the Chiefs' monkey off of our back last year, so it's time to send this one to the graveyard as well. To the final part of the question, we owe it to the Orange Crush alumni not to be an embarrassment. In the last few seasons, every time that this team honors someone, they proceed to go out and lay an egg on the field. This ends on Sunday.