Broncos–Raiders rivalry

Notable moments

1977–1994

• 1977 season: The 1977 Raiders were the defending Super Bowl champions, whereas the Broncos had never qualified for postseason play — AFL or NFL. On October 16, the 4–0 Broncos defeated the 4–0 Raiders in Oakland, ending the Raiders' 17-game winning streak in a game where Raiders' quarterback Ken Stabler threw seven interceptions. Two weeks later, the Raiders would defeat the Broncos in Denver. In the playoffs, the Broncos, competing in their first-ever postseason, and second-ever postseason game, defeated the Raiders 20–17 at Mile High Stadium to win their first AFC championship.
• September 26, 1988: The Broncos led 24–0 at halftime on Monday Night Football. However, the Raiders sparked one of the largest comebacks in NFL history, winning 30–27 in overtime. After serving as an offensive assistant under Broncos' head coach Dan Reeves in the mid-1980s, Mike Shanahan's first season as an NFL head coach was with the Los Angeles Raiders in, before he was fired four games into the season.
• December 2, 1990: Raiders' defensive tackle Scott Davis blocked a 41-yard field goal attempt by Broncos' kicker David Treadwell in the final seconds for a 23–20 Raiders' win at Mile High Stadium.
• November 10, 1991: The Raiders won 17–16 in Denver, aided by two blocked kicks — an extra-point attempt and a last-second field goal attempt. The Broncos were trailing 17–10 with 8:37 left in the fourth quarter, and attempting to tie the game after a touchdown pass from John Elway to Vance Johnson. However, Raiders' defensive tackle Scott Davis blocked the extra-point attempt by Broncos' kicker David Treadwell. After the Broncos blocked a field goal attempt by Raiders' kicker Jeff Jaeger that would have increased the Raiders' lead with 1:55 left, the Raiders returned the favor, when offensive tackle James Fitzpatrick, playing on special teams, blocked a potential 48-yard game-winning field goal by Treadwell as time expired. It was the second consecutive meeting at Mile High Stadium in which the Raiders blocked a field goal in the game's final seconds.
• January 2 and 9, 1994: In the 1993 season finale, the Raiders rallied from a 30–13 deficit to beat the Broncos 33–30 in overtime to make the playoffs and set up another game between the two teams in Los Angeles the following week. Outspoken Raiders' owner Al Davis said before the playoff game that Denver was "scared to death of us." Despite the Broncos' protests, the Raiders won, 42–24.

  1995–2004

• 1995 season: In, former Raiders' head coach Mike Shanahan, who was in an ongoing contract dispute with owner Al Davis at the time, became the Broncos' new head coach, heightening an already contentious AFC West rivalry. Prior to Shanahan's arrival in Denver, the Broncos had lost 13 out of the previous 15 against the Raiders from 1988–94, but during Shanahan's 14 seasons as their head coach, the Broncos went 21–7 against Oakland.
• November 22, 1999: At the end of a Broncos' 27–21 overtime win in Denver on Monday Night Football, Raiders' safety Charles Woodson and offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy engaged in a snowball fight with some fans, after being pelted with snowballs from some unruly fans. Woodson threw a snowball that struck a woman in the face, while Kennedy charged into the stands and assaulted a fan after being hit by a snowball.
• November 13, 2000: In the final Monday Night game at Mile High Stadium, Broncos' quarterback Brian Griese suffered a partially separated right shoulder in the second quarter, and after receiving a pain-killing shot and missing only six plays, he led the Broncos on a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter that resulted in a last-second 41-yard field goal by kicker Jason Elam, for a 27–24 Broncos' win.
• November 11, 2002: The Raiders trounced the Broncos 34–10 in Denver on Monday Night Football. However, the game is notable for an incident between former teammates Bill Romanowski and Shannon Sharpe, in which Romanowski wrestled with and dislocated Sharpe's elbow following an incompletion, forcing Sharpe to miss three games. The two were teammates from 1996 to 2001, however, Romanowski had signed with the Raiders prior to the season.
• November 28, 2004: In a Sunday night game played in a Denver blizzard, the Broncos grabbed the early lead and appeared to be headed toward an easy victory. However, Raiders' quarterback Kerry Collins led a rally in snowy conditions and offensive tackle Langston Walker, playing on special teams, blocked a game-winning field goal attempt by Broncos' kicker Jason Elam in the game's final seconds for a 25–24 Raiders' win.

  2007–present

• September 16, 2007: As Raiders' kicker Sebastian Janikowski kicked what would have been a game-winning field goal in overtime, Broncos' head coach Mike Shanahan called a timeout right before he made it. After the timeout, Janikowski attempted the field goal again, but it hit the upright and missed. The Broncos then won on a field goal by Jason Elam.
• October 24, 2010: The Raiders scored 38 points in the first half in Denver. The Raiders routed the Broncos 59–14, making it the most points scored in a single game in Raiders franchise history, as well tying the most points allowed in a single game in Broncos franchise history, along with a 59–7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in.
• October 11, 2015: The Broncos were nursing a 9–7 lead at Oakland with 7:06 left. The Raiders were attempting to take the lead, until Broncos' cornerback Chris Harris, Jr. stepped in front of a pass by Raiders' quarterback Derek Carr and returned the interception 74 yards for a game-changing touchdown with 6:53 left. The Raiders pulled to within 16–10 late in the game, however, the Broncos' defense and special teams preserved the hard-fought victory.
• November 26, 2017: During the first quarter of a Raiders' 21–14 win in Oakland, Broncos' cornerback Aqib Talib and Raiders' wide receiver Michael Crabtree engaged in an ugly brawl on the sidelines that resulted in both players initially being suspended for two games, but reduced to one game apiece after an appeal. The two had a history of bad blood with each other, in which Talib yanked off a chain from Crabtree's neck, during the teams' regular season finale in Denver, with Talib repeating his actions that resulted in the brawl with Crabtree. During the play that preceded the brawl, Crabtree also punched Broncos' cornerback Chris Harris, Jr. in the stomach.
• September 16, 2018: In scorching hot temperatures in Denver, the Raiders took a 12–0 lead at halftime, with an ineffective performance by the Broncos' offense. However, Broncos' quarterback Case Keenum led a second half rally, with a 1-yard touchdown on a 4th-down quarterback draw and a 10-play, 62-yard drive, which culminated in a game-winning 36-yard field goal by placekicker Brandon McManus. Broncos' linebacker Shaquil Barrett blocked an extra point attempt of Raiders' placekicker Mike Nugent after a 1-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch just before halftime, which turned out to be the difference of the game.
• December 29, 2019: In the 2019 regular season finale at Denver, Raiders' quarterback Derek Carr pulled the team to within a 16–15 deficit, following a 3-yard touchdown pass to Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow with seven seconds remaining in the game. Instead of going for the game-tying extra point that would have sent the game to overtime, the Raiders opted for a game-winning two-point conversion; however, Carr's pass attempt intended for Renfrow was batted down by Broncos' nose tackle Shelby Harris, preserving the win for the Broncos and denying the Raiders a playoff berth. Earlier in the game, a 5-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Renfrow was overturned by a booth review. On the following play, Raiders' fullback Alec Ingold was stopped inches short of the goal line by the Broncos' defense on fourth down—a questionable play that was unsuccessfully challenged by the Raiders.

  Season-by-season results

Connections between the teams

Coaches

Players