Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb made his feelings about the Las Vegas Raiders abundantly clear to reporters as his team's Week 4 road matchup with the Silver and Black looms Sunday.

Mike Klis of 9NEWS provided Chubb's comments.

"I hate 'em, to be honest with you," he said. "I hate 'em. There's only a few teams in the league I hate and they're one of them. Because every time we go there it seems like it hasn't [gone] in our favor. It's always a tough game.

"I always know it's going to be a good matchup, I always know it's going to be—I'm not going to say dirty but they talk and stuff, we talk and stuff and it's going back-n-forth. ... We know they're looking at it the same way we are."

As Chubb referenced, the Broncos have encountered significant trouble when going to either Oakland (2018 and 2019) or Vegas (2020 and 2021) since he entered the NFL with Denver four years ago.

The Broncos are 0-4 in that span after defeats featuring 27-14, 24-16 loss, 37-12 and 17-13 scores. They haven't won on the road against the Raiders since 2015, marking six straight defeats.

This matchup has significant importance for both teams.

Denver has started 2-1, but the Broncos haven't exactly played inspiring football to start the season. Their 14.3 points per game rank second-worst in the NFL, despite the offseason acquisition of nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson.

The defense has been tremendous, though, and that's led to a pair of wins over the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers over the past two weeks.

Chubb has been an instrumental part of the defensive effort as usual. His three sacks lead the NFL, and his five quarterback hits co-lead the Broncos with Randy Gregory.

A motivated Chubb will now look to lead his team to a big road win over the reeling Raiders, who have started 0-3 despite wholesale offseason changes that include a new head coach (Josh McDaniels) and No. 1 wide receiver (Davante Adams). The NFL's only winless team has lost its three games by a combined 13 points.

Kickoff from Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium will go down Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson fired back at Eli Manning for his joke from earlier this week.

During the ManningCast of the Monday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, Eli quipped that the Broncos should've paid punter Corliss Waitman the $250 million they paid Wilson after he punted the ball 10 times in Sunday's 11-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

While speaking to reporters Wednesday, Wilson was asked about Manning's comments and responded, "I'm 3-0 against Chad Powers," referring to Manning's viral character.

Manning clarified to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports that he wasn't intending to take a shot at Wilson, but rather just attempting to be funny.

"No, I don't think we're trying to be critical. I think we always try to support the guys that are in the game. I think sometimes, 'Hey, it's live TV.' I never try to take a real shot at somebody," he explained. "I think that was obviously a very outrageous joke—because a punter had 10 punts. Nothing against Russell. He's going to do great."

Wilson made it clear that he didn't find Manning's comments offensive, and he doesn't have any ill feelings toward either of the Manning brothers.

"I think it's part of the game, those guys are just having fun," Wilson said. "I have a lot of respect for Peyton and Eli, I've always looked up to those guys, so I'm not stressed about it."

While Wilson was able to laugh off the zinger from Manning, Denver's offensive woes this season are no laughing matter. The Broncos rank second-to-last in the NFL with 14.3 points per game through the first three weeks. It's clearly not what the team expected when it acquired Wilson in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks and then signed him to a five-year, $245 million contract extension.

Wilson is still getting used to his new surroundings. He's completed just 59.4 percent of his passes for 743 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The Broncos will try to turn things around when they travel to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Eli Manning didn't mean any disrespect to Russell Wilson when he mocked the Denver Broncos quarterback's contract during the ManningCast on Monday.

Manning gave his viewpoint to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports:

"No, I don't think we're trying to be critical. I think we always try to support the guys that are in the game. I think sometimes, 'Hey, it’s live TV.' I never try to take a real shot at somebody. I think that was obviously a very outrageous joke—because a punter had 10 punts. Nothing against Russell. He's going to do great."

The question came after Manning's zinger Monday night:

"They should've paid that punter $235 million instead of Russell [Wilson]." @EliManning went there 😅 pic.twitter.com/ridC2MdRji

— ESPN (@espn) September 27, 2022

Denver's Corliss Waitman punted 10 times during an eventual 11-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. Wilson, who signed a five-year, $245 million contract extension before the season, finished with 184 passing yards and no touchdowns.

The Broncos are 2-1 to start the season, although Wilson has struggled with just two passing touchdowns and a 83.2 quarterback rating that would be the worst of his career.

Denver's 14.3 points scored per game ranks 31st in the NFL.

Manning did give Wilson the benefit of the doubt as he gets used to a new team following his trade with the Seattle Seahawks.

"It's hard going into a new offense, a new system," Manning said. "It takes some time. It's not going to be perfect after three weeks. I've been in that situation. It can take five or six weeks before you get comfortable with the coaches."

Considering Wilson has nine Pro Bowl selections in his career, he should get a long leash to figure things out in Denver.

Manning, meanwhile, will look to get off more quips in his alternate Monday Night Football broadcast alongside his brother, Peyton.

The AFC West is the NFL's version of a great movie trailer that gets everyone excited, only to be disappointed once the film begins. Expectations can ruin the actual experience.

A supposed arms race took place this offseason. The Las Vegas Raiders traded for Davante Adams and signed Chandler Jones as a free agent. The Los Angeles Chargers brought in Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson and fortified their previously soft defensive interior.

The Kansas City Chiefs moved on from the likes of Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu but made sure to beef up the defense with the first-round draft selections of Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis. The Denver Broncos' made arguably the biggest move by acquiring future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.

The Broncos' appalling 11-10 victory Sunday against the Jimmy Garoppolo-led San Francisco 49ers provided the perfect ending to an awful day for the division.

Yes, a win is a win. But not all wins are the same. And not all wins are good wins.

Denver played terribly throughout the night. Garoppolo's futility allowed the Broncos to escape with an underserved victory, which is becoming a regular occurrence against subpar competition.

Last week, the Broncos trailed the Houston Texans by three points entering the fourth quarter. The Texans are one of two winless teams currently found around the league.

The 49ers, meanwhile, are dealing with the fact they're now starting the quarterback they wanted to rid themselves of but didn't have a better option other than cutting his salary and having him serve as a backup.

To underline how poorly Denver's offense played Sunday, the team went three-and-out on nine different occasions, which is the most by a Wilson-led offense during the quarterback's 11-year career.

During the team's initial 11 drives, Wilson averaged a putrid 5.4 air yards per attempt, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. In total, the team has converted one of seven red zone trips into a touchdown so far this season.

In all fairness, some of the quarterback's old magic appeared with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter. With 10:12 left to play and down five points, Wilson completed five of seven passes and created with his legs to avoid pressure and pick up 12 yards on a crucial 3rd-and-6 at San Francisco's 36-yard line.

Even so, the sight of errant throws, miscommunication on routes and an inability to properly block the 49ers' defensive front shows how disjointed the Denver offense is at the moment.

"We're still all learning each other," Wilson told reporters. "We're so close. I've been a part of some good offenses, and I think we have a chance to be really, really great ... I'm excited because I can feel it—everything is just that close. And once we do, with our defense, we're going to be unstoppable, I think. We've got a chance."

A 2-1 record keeps the Broncos stride-for-stride with the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC West. The current standings are more of an indictment of both teams than a reflection of quality performances.

Against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Kansas City found a way to lose. The Colts couldn't get their offense on track for most of the day. The Chiefs did an excellent job of confusing veteran quarterback Matt Ryan and his highly paid offensive line throughout the contest. Kansas City created multiple free runs at Ryan to disrupt Indianapolis' game plan.

Yet a missed field goal, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on defensive lineman Chris Jones after a successful third-down stop, and a Patrick Mahomes interception led to the Colts' comeback victory. All of this occurred after a minor sideline dustup between the quarterback and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

Ultimately, it's the little things. The Chiefs are still easing into their new offensive setup, and Mahomes took the blame for the loss in his postgame press conference.

"We've got to gel all together. It starts with me. There were certain throws I was putting on guys' back hips instead of in front of him. There were certain situations where we were just barely off of it ... Whenever you're playing a tough game like that, you have to execute at a higher level and we have to learn from it. Our schedule gets no easier. We have a hard game Sunday (against) Tampa next week with a great defense, so we have to get better quickly. And if we don't, we don't want these (losses) to start piling up. We want to make sure we get back on that winning train."

Meanwhile, the Chargers are dealing with multiple key injuries. Defensive end Joey Bosa didn't return during Los Angeles' 38-10 thumping at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars after suffering a groin injury. Left tackle Rashawn Slater injured his biceps. Quarterback Justin Herbert is already playing through fractured rib cartilage.

"I just didn't want to quit on the team," Herbert told reporters after the decisive loss.

Center Corey Linsley (knee), wide receiver Keenan Allen (hamstring) and cornerback J.C. Jackson (knee) didn't even play in the contest.

Availability and quality of depth play big parts in how successful a team can be. If its top performers aren't healthy or not playing well, expectations must be tempered.

Lastly, the Las Vegas Raiders are allowed to have some hope, even though they're the only team to start 0-3 this season. Sunday's performance within their division makes it possible to climb back into the race.

Granted, the Chiefs and Broncos are already two games ahead. Six teams during the Super Bowl era have made the playoffs after starting 0-3, according to the Associated Press' Josh Dubow.

Quarterback Derek Carr even insinuated certain individuals must be better in practice during his postgame press conference.

"You try your best to do it the right way in practice, and if you don't do it right in practice, then you can't expect it to go right in the game," Carr said. "We've got to look at that, each man as an individual and say, 'OK then, I've got to get better at this, this, and this.'"

The rest of the AFC sees the Miami Dolphins leading the way with a 3-0 record. The Buffalo Bills may have come up short against their division rival this weekend, but they're clearly one of the league's best.

Lamar Jackson is back to MVP form during the Baltimore Ravens' 2-1 start. Jacksonville is much tougher than expected, with a true professional now leading the team in head coach Doug Pederson.

A weak first act can be saved by a strong finish. Even after a rough start, the AFC West shouldn't fall completely apart. Expectations simply need to be adjusted. Maybe the division wasn't as good as everyone originally projected.

Even so, the eventual winner can still have its made-for-movie ending.

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Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has been off to a slow start this season, but Sunday, he showed why the team gave up so much to acquire him in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason.

Wilson flashed his vintage form to help lead the Broncos to an 11-10 comeback victory at Mile High Stadium on Sunday Night Football. He finished 20-of-33 for 184 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers.

Wilson engineered a 12-play, 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter that was capped by the go-ahead rushing touchdown by running back Melvin Gordon III. It was apparent during the drive that Wilson took a little more control, utilizing his legs more and calling audibles at the line of scrimmage. It was reminiscent of his days with the Seahawks.

Sunday's performance was far from perfect, as Wilson struggled for much of the game before the late scoring drive. The 33-year-old did not look like his old self through the first two weeks of the season, but a gritty victory like this is a step in the right direction for him. Perhaps it will spark something within Wilson and the Broncos offense moving forward.

NFL Twitter showered Wilson with praise for his return to form on Sunday night.

Finally I see some OLD RUSS 👨‍🍳… nice drive

— LeSean Shady Mccoy (@CutonDime25) September 26, 2022

That’s win wilson is most dangerous. When scrambling. When he was younger my goshhhhhh

— Patrick Willis (@PatrickWillis52) September 26, 2022

Russell Wilson finally decided to become the version of himself that 49ers fans know all too well this drive.

— Dean Straka (@DWStraka49) September 26, 2022

There’s some vintage, Russ.

— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) September 26, 2022

That was old Russ

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) September 26, 2022

That was old Russ

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) September 26, 2022

Stellar drive from Russell Wilson there. Crazy how many times #49ers fans have seen that movie.

— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) September 26, 2022

That’s the most authentic Russell Wilson drive in Denver. All it lacked from his game would have been a deep one.

— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) September 26, 2022

Russell Wilson now has 26 fourth-quarter comebacks, already two as a Bronco. He only trails Brady, Stafford and Ryan among active QBs

— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) September 26, 2022

Russell Wilson's his best in the 4th quarter.

That's what he's done tonight.

— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) September 26, 2022

18-4 for Russell Wilson against the 49ers, with many of those wins following a formula reminiscent to tonight. But this was particularly extreme — Denver crowd was even booing the 3-and-outs; 49ers offense managed to be situationally worse, which was hard to do

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 26, 2022

The Broncos had high expectations coming into the season after acquiring Wilson. So far, the team has not performed the way it had hoped, but Sunday's win should provide a confidence boost.

If Wilson can continue to be the player who earned nine Pro Bowl selections in 10 years in Seattle, it would lead to success in Denver.

The Broncos (2-1) will look to carry the momentum from Sunday's win into next week's division matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders (0-3).

Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett has hired Jerry Rosburg as a senior assistant to help with game management, according to Mike Klis of 9News.

Klis wrote:

"Rosburg had been with the Broncos all week, observing practices and talking with personnel while his specific role and contract were being finalized. The hiring was finalized late Friday afternoon in time for Rosburg to assist Hackett for the game Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers at Empower Field at Mile High."

It was clear through the first two weeks of the season that Hackett needed some help on the sidelines. The Broncos were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks 17-16 in Week 1 and were down 9-6 entering the fourth quarter of a 16-9 win over the Houston Texans last week.

Hackett said earlier this week that he and the coaching staff were working on improving their game-day management, per Aric DiLalla of the team website:

"When it comes to the operation, that's something we're talking about quite a bit. There's a lot of things. We've got to make sure the communication is clear and concise. I need to do better at making decisions faster and quicker and getting that information to the quarterback and being on the same page with him. That's stuff that we're talking about this morning all the way to this evening and making sure it's got to improve."

With the addition of Rosburg to help with game management, Hackett should become much more comfortable moving forward.

Hackett is in his first year as an NFL head coach, and his coaching staff is also on the younger, more inexperienced, side, meaning that Rosburg's veteran presence will be a welcomed addition, especially in the game-day decision-making department.

Rosburg began his coaching career as a secondary coach for Boston College in 1997. He remained in the role in 1998 before joining Notre Dame from 1999-2000 as a cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator.

The 66-year-old broke into the NFL as a special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2001 and served in the role through the 2006 campaign. In 2007, he joined the Atlanta Falcons as a special teams coordinator.

The most time Rosburg spent with a franchise came when he served as a special teams coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens from 2008 to 2018.

The Broncos are set to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and cornerback Patrick Surtain II are day-to-day after getting injured in Sunday's 16-9 win over the Houston Texans, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Head coach Nathaniel Hackett confirmed Jeudy injured his ribs, while Surtain had a shoulder issue. 9News' Mike Klis reported preliminary X-rays for Jeudy were negative, but the 2020 first-round pick was scheduled to have more testing.

Jeudy hasn't wasted time in building his on-field connection with Russell Wilson. The two combined for a 67-yard touchdown pass in a Week 1 17-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

BIG PLAY, @JERRYJEUDY!

📺: #DENvsSEA on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/54o9fOPBKO pic.twitter.com/wnuZFwmZSF

— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2022

He was forced to exit Sunday after only logging 10 plays, though. He caught one pass for 11 yards on three targets.

Surtain's usage was likewise limited as he had two tackles in his 25 defensive snaps against Houston. The defense still made life difficult for Davis Mills, who finished 19-of-38 for 177 yards and was sacked three times.

The Broncos are back in action in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers. Since they're only day-to-day, both Jeudy and Surtain could presumably be healthy in time to suit up.

Only two games into his tenure, head coach Nathaniel Hackett is already facing significant scrutiny. He'll obviously want to have his squad at full strength as Denver looks to improve to 2-1.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy suffered an injury in Sunday's game against the Houston Texans.

The team announced that Jeudy (ribs) has been ruled out for the remainder of the game along with cornerback Pat Surtain II, who sustained a shoulder injury:

Injury update: CB Pat Surtain II (shoulder) and WR Jerry Jeudy (shoulder) have both been downgraded to OUT.

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 18, 2022

According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, X-rays on Jeudy's ribs came back negative. The wideout will, however, undergo more tests on Monday.

Prior to exiting on Sunday, Jeudy had one catch for 11 yards, while Surtain made two tackles.

Injuries were an issue for the third-year wideout last season. Jeudy suffered a high ankle sprain in Denver's Week 1 win over the New York Giants. He caught six passes for 72 yards before getting taken off the field on a cart.

The Broncos placed Jeudy on injured reserve on Sept. 14. with an initial four-to-six-week timetable. He returned for their Week 8 game against the Washington Football Team, catching four passes for 39 yards in a 17-10 win.

Expectations were high for Jeudy coming into the 2021 season. The Alabama alum had a promising rookie campaign with 856 yards and three touchdowns on 52 receptions with Drew Lock as his primary quarterback.

Jeudy was limited to 467 receiving yards with no touchdowns on 38 receptions in 10 games last season.

The Broncos offense has high expectations this season with the addition of Russell Wilson at quarterback. Their receiving corps has already suffered one significant loss when Tim Patrick tore his ACL during practice on Aug. 2.

Losing Jeudy will make their effort at competing in a loaded AFC West even more difficult. Courtland Sutton is the unquestioned No. 1 wideout for Wilson. KJ Hamler will likely see more targets moving forward.

Surtain, meanwhile, is coming off a rookie season that saw him record four interceptions in 16 appearances. He also managed to take one back for a touchdown.

The ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft was expected to be a big part of the Denver secondary in a division that features Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr.

Nathaniel Hackett may have lost a ton of faith among Denver Broncos fans for his late-game gaffe in last week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but the team is still firmly behind the first-year coach.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Hackett has built a "strong bond" with players behind the scenes already, and the vibe in Denver's locker room has been "encouraging and optimistic rather than down" heading into Week 2's matchup with the Houston Texans.

Much to the chagrin of the entire football community, Hackett chose to play for a 64-yard Brandon McManus field goal rather than attempt a conversion on 4th-and-5 with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter in Monday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. McManus missed the kick, which would have tied for the second-longest kick in NFL history, and the Seahawks escaped with a 17-16 victory.

Hackett later admitted the decision was a mistake, but his players publicly backed their coach.

"I always believe in having the ball and everything else, but also we've got a great kicker, and we're going to believe in our kicker again," Russell Wilson said. "I also trust (Hackett's) decisions and everything else, but I'm also always ready to go try to do it if we need to."

Social media and pundits were much less forgiving, pointing out (correctly) that the Broncos spent nine figures and three future first-round draft picks to acquire Wilson for these exact types of moments. The lack of faith in offense, particularly for an offensive coach like Hackett, was jarring.

"Everyone learned so much this past week, especially me," Hackett texted Rapoport. "And we are going to be better for it. Now we get to move forward, grow as a team and get ready for Houston!"

It remains to be seen what type of reception Hackett will be given by the Broncos faithful Sunday.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Monday night's win over Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos was "really rewarding" to the team's former players.

Carroll pointed to the high number of Hawks icons, including Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman, who were in attendance for the season-opening game during an appearance Tuesday on KIRO radio (via ESPN's Brady Henderson).

"I wanted to win for all of the reasons that come along with this one," he said. "Maybe as much as anything is representing the guys that have played before. It meant a lot to those guys. I was so thrilled to be able to hug those guys up and see them and look them in the eye."

When asked to expand on why it meant so much to Wilson's former Seattle teammates, the longtime coach was reluctant to yield much information.

"Eh, you figure that out," Carroll said. "But it was really meaningful and they really wanted it and I knew we were playing for a lot more than just the regular stuff. We have a real connection with the history. ... They feel it and they love the fact that they played here and they love seeing us do well. On this night, they realized there was a big opportunity and a big statement to be made: The game isn't about an individual player here or there. It's about team. This is the ultimate team sport and it's been stated so many times before. It takes everybody."

It's become clear there was a lot of behind-the-scenes drama leading up to Wilson's departure in a March trade to the Broncos.

Although the cracks in the relationship between Wilson and the organization started to show through in early 2021, when the future Hall of Fame QB when on a media tour to air his grievances with the franchise, it seemingly dates back far longer than that.

Baldwin, another former Hawks player in attendance Monday night, previously told Henderson those on the inside knew a breakup was coming for a while.

"From my vantage point, the divorce was inevitable and was many years in the making," he said. "The reasons are multiple, but ultimately, I think it comes down to a difference of pursuits."

So while the sides enjoyed plenty of success together, highlighted by winning the Super Bowl XLVIII title at the end of the 2013 season, the partnership kept trending in the wrong direction over the past few years.

Even the Seahawks fans gave Wilson a rude welcome for his return to Lumen Field:

Russell Wilson receives boos from the Seahawks fans. pic.twitter.com/To0JuAadJN

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 12, 2022

Perhaps it was the cleansing moment the franchise needed to wash away the drama of recent years and move toward a new era. And, even though Carroll stopped short of any juicy soundbites, his message about the win's importance wasn't shielded.

The storyline probably won't have much legs moving forward since the teams play in opposite conferences, but that doesn't mean the emotion from Monday's victory can't help propel the Seahawks in the weeks ahead. Seattle has an NFC West matchup Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

Meanwhile, it's clear Wilson and the Broncos have a lot of work to do if they're going to emerge as a threat amid an AFC West race jam-packed with contenders.