Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders Week 13 Preview

vs.
Oakland Raiders (3-8) vs. Denver Broncos (5-6)

Sunday, December 2, 2007 | 2:05 PM MST
McAfee Coliseum | CBS 4 | 850 AM KOA

Weather: Partly cloudy, 58° F, Mild winds (N 6mph), 10% chance rain (weather.com)

One of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL turned even more sour after the Broncos Week 2 victory against the Oakland Raiders. Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski sent a game-winning kick through the uprights in overtime only to have the kick called back because of a well-timed Mike Shanahan timeout. Janikowski’s second kick bounced off the upright. The Broncos dodged a bullet and went on to win the game in overtime.

Of course, this sets up both teams for a great rematch this Sunday.

Although the Raiders have been a struggling football team over the past few years (finishing with the league’s worst record last year), they always have a tendency to play the Broncos close. In the last two meetings the Broncos won by an average score of 3.5 points. Since 2006 the average margin of victory for the Broncos is 5.67 points.

The Raiders are coming off their first AFC West win in 17 games, a 20-17 upset over the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead. While it was previously reported that top overall draft choice JaMarcus Russell would get the start against the Broncos two weeks ago, it appears that Daunte Culpepper will be the Raiders’ starting signal caller on Sunday.