Broncos-Raiders: Denver Looks To Continue Second-Half Surge Against Oakland

The storied rivalry between the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders will write yet another chapter Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High.

The first place Broncos (6-4) are coming off of two of their more gutsy wins this season.

Plagued by injuries on both sides of the ball, the Broncos have rebounded from three straight losses and beat the Browns and Falcons, and they have done so thanks large in part to the play of their outstanding rookie class.

Inversely, the Oakland Raiders went from what was supposed to be the surprise team of the NFL to the duds that they truly are deep down, and it begins with Al Davis.

Davis fired former Head Coach Lane Kiffin and cut ties with Oakland's most expensive offseason acquisition in DeAngelo Hall.

Still, the young Raiders have a chance to prove themselves on a big stage against the division leaders.

Since Mike Shanahan became the Head Coach of the Denver Broncos after being fired in Oakland (much similar to the way Kiffin was punted out), he has beaten the Raiders more than any team, most recently Week One of this season, which resulted in a 41-17 thrashing of his former team.

Denver boasts the AFC's most explosive offense, and the Raiders statistically have the NFL's worst.

Both teams find struggles on the defensive side of the ball, and either squad has played with some grit in their teeth the last couple of weeks. 

Two of the game's best defensive backs will be featured in this one, those being Denver cornerback Champ Bailey and Oakland cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

Oakland also has a fierce pair of linebackers in Kirk Morrisson and Thomas Howard, both of whom are tackling artists.

Sadly, those are really the only bright spots on Oakland's team, and unless JaMarcus Russell can save the day, they will have a tough time handling the Broncos on the road.

Denver is led by Pro-Bowl and MVP candidate Jay Cutler, who has emerged as a star in 2008. Cutler has hit targets in the end zone 19 times this season and has accumulated the third-most passing yards in the NFL.

The Broncos have a two-game lead over San Diego in the AFC West and will hopefully widen the gap after Sunday's bout with the Raiders.

I will give my predictions and pregame analysis either tomorrow or Friday.