The Oakland Raiders' Most Important Game Comes In Prime Time
Good teams beat the bad teams. Great teams can beat everyone on any given day.
The Oakland Raiders are currently a good team. They are tied for the lead in the AFC West at 6-2, but all of the wins have come against teams with a win percentage of .500 or worse.
The two losses were against the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs, the only two teams on the Raiders' schedule with winning records.
The Raiders will take on the 6-2 Denver Broncos in a prime time showdown on Sunday Night Football.
It may just be the ninth game on Oakland's schedule, but it is, by far, the most important game of the season to this point.
The Broncos will be just the third team with a winning record on the Raiders' schedule so far. A loss to the Broncos would prove that the Raiders aren't fit to hang with the great teams in the league.
A 5-0 record so far on the road shows Oakland is a good team, but they need to take it to the next level.
A win in a nationally televised prime time game against the defending Super Bowl champs would do a lot for the Raiders. If Oakland wants to be taken seriously in the playoff picture, and ultimately in the chase for a Super Bowl, the team needs a big win against the Broncos.
A win would prove to the fans, themselves and the entire league that Oakland is back as one of the best teams in football.
The Sunday Night game will be a home game for the Raiders. For most teams, the home field advantage is a positive. For the Raiders, however, it's been more difficult to come across wins at home than on the road.
The Silver and Black are just 1-2 at home with its lone home win coming against the San Diego Chargers in week five.
All division games are important, but with these two teams tied atop the AFC West, this game will give the winner a one game cushion for the lead in the division.
The AFC West looks like the best division in football. The Broncos, Raiders and Chiefs each have just two losses on the season, but Kansas City is half game back in the standings because of the bye week.
It wouldn't be a surprise if all three of the teams held sole possession of the division lead at some point during the rest of the season.
Typically the team with the best division record comes out on top at the end of the season.
Kansas City is currently 2-0 in the division, while Denver and Oakland are both 1-1.
The prime time game is the first time the Broncos and Raiders will see each other this season. The second game between the two will be the last game of the season.
It's strange to say Oakland will be playing a meaningful division game on Sunday Night Football because it hasn't happened in years, but the national spotlight is much needed and overdue for the Raiders franchise.
