Each and every week, Las Vegas Raiders opponents have certain guys to game plan for, with tight end Brock Bowers and edge rusher Maxx Crosby topping the list.
In Week 12, the Denver Broncos did a good job keeping those two players in check. Bowers had just 38 yards on four catches and Crosby failed to record a sack, although he did have three tackles for loss.
Following the Broncos' 29-19 win over the Raiders on Sunday that completed the season sweep, Denver head coach Sean Payton took a jab at the Las Vegas duo, noting how the Broncos kept them quiet, along with wide receiver DJ Turner.
"89 (Brock Bowers), 98 (Maxx Crosby), 19 (DJ Turner) and those are really good players, but we didn't hear for them a lot," Payton told reporters.
One key Raiders player we did hear a lot from was wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who had 121 yards on 10 catches. However, his impressive performance made no difference in Las Vegas' losing effort.
Limiting Crosby took a strong effort from Denver's offensive line. Denver was able to mostly neutralize Bowers by giving him a steady dose of coverage from stud cornerback Patrick Surtain. Bowers was targeted three times while Surtain guarded him and totaled just one catch for nine yards.
No matter what has gone on in recent years, the Raiders could always depend on beating the Broncos after winning eight straight against their division rival from 2020-2023.
Not only is that gone after Denver won both matchups this season, but Payton is now out here trolling Raiders players in the process. It is yet another sign of the disastrous season Las Vegas is having.
On the bright side, the Raiders are on track to get a high draft pick, which could help them solve their quarterback woes. The only problem is, we'll have to sit through six more games this season before we can really look ahead to the offseason.
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