***SNF IN THE SWAMP - DEN @ OAK***

***DENVER BRONCOS @ OAKLAND RAIDERS***

The AFC Wild Wild West Division will take center stage tonight on Sunday Night Football when the Denver Broncos ride into Oakland to take on Da RRRrrAAAAIIIDAAAaaaZZZZZ in a battle for first place in their division. It will be the first time these two rivals face off this season and Oakland will be looking to fend off the Super Bowl Champs to stay among the top ranks. It has been awhile since the 'ol Black & Silver tasted glory and they just might be onto something over there on the west coast. Da Raiidazzz have been the definition of road warriors so far this year as they are yet to drop an away game, winning almost all of them in clutch and dramatic fashion. The young Oakland QB Derek Carr has really come into his own and has certified himself as a dangerous gunslinger in this league, and it looks as though he won't be going anywhere any time soon. After a promising first two seasons he has lit the NFL on fire along with his two monsters at WR in Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. This duo has proven to be an unstoppable force at times for defenses and Carr has all the trust in the world in these guys and not afraid to throw into coverage to give them a chance to make a play, which they seem to do most of the time. Last week Carr threw for over 500 yards against a sloppy Tampa Bay defense in a game that went deep into overtime. I have been tracking this team and thought that game could've possibly been a dead spot for them with this game on deck, but they proved that thought process wrong once again as it seems like you can never quite count these guys out. Behind Head Coach Jack Del Rio and Carr's leadership, this team truly believes that they can win every time they step on the field and look forward to the challenge. Tonight will be their biggest test yet and I am willing to back them here and think they get it done one more time. I am not sold on the Broncos offense behind the young QB Trevor Siemian. While looking solid at times, he has proven to be inconsistent at this point in the season and last week against the Chargers for the second time, he was fortunate to not throw a couple more interceptions than he did with the Bolts dropping some big opportunities he mistakenly threw their way. With the steady run game from C.J. Anderson now gone for the season with injury, the running game that is crucial to Siemian's success is now up to Rookie Devnontae Booker who has looked very solid as a backup to Anderson but could struggle as the feature back. However, da Raaiddazzz defense has been their Achilles heel and they tend to give up as many points through the air as they score on opposing defenses. That being said, the Broncos offense should be able to produce a bit tonight but the energy of the Black Hole will without a doubt be buzzing as this is the first Prime Time game in Oakland in a while, especially one that has meaning like the stakes in tonight's game.

It has been a long time since da Raaiiddazzz were a threat and in my opinion the NFL is just better when da RraiiidazzzZz are good. I think they seize the moment tonight and that defense feeds off the energy of the home crowd to get after the young QB Siemian. The beast LB Khalil Mack should be a huge factor coming off the edge and in my opinion is due for a HUGE game, I think tonight is the night and he will be the X-factor and cause a turnover here with a strip sack. Carr reminds me of a mixture of Phillip Rivers and Brett Favre. He has all the feisty fire that Rivers plays with and fearlessly slings the rock and ad libs with a backyard style of play at times like Favre. This kid is the real deal and I know he will have this offense sharp tonight up against one of the top defenses in the league. As good as the Bronco defense is, it has shown this year that it can be beaten by an elite passing game. They will also be without CB Aqib Talib tonight, and that hurts them big time. Carr, Crab, and Cooper will rise to the occasion and get theirs in this one. RAIDERS PK