The Las Vegas Raiders are set to host the Denver Broncos in the final game of the season. Both teams have already been eliminated from playoff contention, but that doesn’t mean we won’t get a competitive game in Week 18.
Ahead of this AFC West matchup, we caught up with Jon Heath of Broncos Wire to discuss this matchup and all things Denver Broncos.
1. How did Jarrett Stidham look in his first start with the Broncos?
He was fine, not great, but not terrible. Stidham had a few throws behind his receivers, but that’s not too surprising given that he didn’t get any first-team reps until last Wednesday. He attempted a few deep passes into coverage on Sunday, so that might be something the Raiders could take advantage of on Sunday.
One area where he was a big improvement over Wilson: Stidham stood in the pocket and made quick, precise decisions. Instead of hanging on to the ball too long or bailing out of the pocket like Wilson had a tendency to do, Stidham was decisive with his passes on Sunday.
2. How have rookies Marvin Mims and Drew Sanders performed this season?
Mims has been absolutely brilliant as a returner, ranked third among players with double-digit kickoff returns (26.3 YPR) and second among all players on punt returns (17.4 YPR). He has not had much of a role on offense, but no WRs put up big numbers with Wilson this season (Mims missed Stidham’s first start with a hamstring injury).
Sanders has been a key player on special teams and a rotational outside linebacker on defense. The Broncos are still deciding if his long-term position will be ILB or OLB, and he played on the edge out of necessity in 2023.
3. Do you anticipate the Broncos resting players in Week 18 now that they are out of playoff contention?
No, because coach Sean Payton implied this week that’s not the way he operates. We’ll find out on Sunday if that’s true, but Denver does want to win on Sunday to secure a winning season (9-8) and build some positive momentum going into 2024.
If the Broncos upset the Raiders, it will mark Denver’s first winning season since the Gary Kubiak era. Payton will coach to win on Sunday.
4. Who is an under-the-radar player to watch in Week 18?
We already touched on Mims as a returner and most fans probably aren’t too interested in watching guard Quinn Meinerz, so I’ll go with running back Jaleel McLaughlin. He’s a dynamic undrafted rookie who has outpaced Javonte Williams in each of the last two weeks and has fans excited about his future outlook in Payton’s offense. He’s not Darren Sproles, but McLaughlin is a small, speedy running back who has averaged 5.6 yards per carry this season.
5. Who wins this AFC West showdown?
Surprise, surprise, the Broncos Wire editor backs the Broncos to win. Payton wants to prove that switching to Stidham was the right move, players want to snap their seven-game losing streak to the Raiders (and get some payback for Week 1) and a winning season is on the line. I think Denver will be highly motivated to get a win on Sunday.
Broncos 20, Raiders 18.
