Oakland Raiders Vs Denver Broncos: Welcome to The Black Hole, Orton

For two teams in the AFC West, this matchup is going to be pivotal.

For the Denver Broncos, a win would move them into the forefront of the AFC teams playing.

For the Oakland Raiders, it would help prove the team is moving forward and back towards respect that has been lacking for years.

But this game means oh so much more than this.

For Denver, it is a chance to face an AFC West team. Their two opponents so far, the Bengals and the Browns combined for eight wins. Not bad if you had one team, but together it was four wins each.

In their first game, Denver was held down by a Bengals defense, until a small miracle of deflection gave Denver a win.

In their second game, they played a team that has scored a single offensive TD in the last 32 games.

For the Raiders, after a hard-fought game one loss to San Diego, Oakland went on the road to Kansas City and were on the right side of some very odd stats. Kansas City had over 400 yards. They controlled the ball for the majority of the game. They had their marquee player back in action, Matt Cassel.

The result? Oakland held Kansas City to 10 points and won the game, 13-10. Incidentally, it might have not been that close if Nnamdi Asomugha hadn't suffered from dehydration when Dwayne Bowe made his touchdown grab.

The important aspect to remember about this rivalry, is that when it comes down to these two teams, the records go out the window. The players, the coaches, even the fans take it to another level. Oakland and the Raider Nation look forward to this rivalry, be the team 2-8, 5-5, or even twice in three weeks.

Welcome to the AFC West, Kyle Orton.

Try to stay on your feet.

Prediction, Oakland 24-21