|
OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- Coach Mike Shanahan hopes to continue his success against his former team Sunday when the
Denver Broncos
visit the Oakland Raiders Sunday in a battle of AFC West rivals.
A sweep of last year's season series lifted Shanahan's record to 14-4 against the Raiders. He was fired by Oakland owner Al Davis 15 years ago.
Clinton Portis
rushed for 170 yards on 34 carries in the Broncos' 22-8 victory here last November 30. Denver no longer has Portis, who was traded to Washington for Pro Bowl cornerback
Champ Bailey
and a second-round pick in the offseason.
But that doesn't mean that the Broncos don't have a running game. Last week, fifth-year back
Reuben Droughns
added to the long list of Denver running backs to come out of nowhere and shine, producing 193 yards on 30 carries in a 20-17 win over Carolina. Droughns more than doubled the 127 yards he collected in his career.
Quentin Griffith started the year as the Broncos' feature back and rushed for 156 yards in the season-opening win over Kansas City. He struggled the next three games and missed last week's contest with a sprained ankle, giving Droughns his opportunity.
"I'm not really sure myself," Shanahan said when asked if Droughns would start against the Raiders. "Or maybe I am sure and I'm just not telling you."
The Broncos are 4-1 for the third straight year and for the fourth time in Shanahan's 10 years as coach.
Oakland is happy to return home after losing back-to-back games at Houston and Indianapolis, extending its road losing streak to 12 games.
Quarterback
Kerry Collins
has committed eight turnovers in two starts since taking over for the injured
Rich Gannon
. Collins was intercepted three times and sacked four times in the Raiders' 35-14 loss at Indianapolis last week.
Penalties also hurt the Raiders in the loss at Indianapolis. They had two defensive holding calls in the end zone and a holding penalty by guard
Frank Middleton
wiped out a 56-yard scoring run by
Amos Zereoue
.
Ronald Curry
caught a career-high 10 passes for 72 yards in the loss to the Colts. He has been playing more at the expense of
Jerry Rice
, who celebrates his 42nd birthday on Wednesday.
Matchup to watch: Raiders receiver
Jerry Porter
lines up across from Pro Bowl cornerback
Champ Bailey
.
Series: Oakland leads, 52-33-2.
Next week: Denver visits Cincinnati on October 25. Oakland hosts New Orleans on October 24.
|
