The Denver Broncos are set to host the Las Vegas Raiders in their season opener on Sunday.
In years past, this week has been heightened as an extra-important matchup for the Broncos given their rivalry with the Raiders that dates back to 1960 when the two teams were founding members of the AFL.
Past players have detailed how important it was to them to beat the Raiders, but new coach Sean Payton downplayed the rivalry aspect of the matchup going into Week 1.
“We look at them as divisional games,” Payton said earlier this week when asked if he puts an extra emphasis on rivalry games. “I think of rivalries as college football, and then arch-rivalries as — I was asked that question a lot, relative to Atlanta and New Orleans — divisional games are important.”
Payton had no problem noting the importance of division games, but he had no interest in hyping up a rivalry narrative.
“The first goal is to find a way to win your division,” the coach said. “You play your divisional opponents twice. I can’t speak for rivalries. I just think that exists a little bit more in the collegiate game, and I think division games are important, yes.”
Rivalry or not, the Broncos will aim to snap a six-game losing streak to the Raiders this week. Sunday’s game will begin at 2:25 p.m. MT on (view the TV map here).
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