The Oakland Raiders travel to Denver to face the Broncos on Sunday, and it will be Dennis Allen's first trip back to Sports Authority Field at Mile High since taking the head coaching job with Oakland.
Allen spend the 2011 season as the defensive coordinator for Denver. The Broncos made it to the playoffs last year, and Allen's defense was the primary reason for their success. Allen spoke with reporters on Monday about what it will be like heading back to the place he used to call home, but emphasized that the trip is all about business, as transcribed by Steve Corkran Mercury News:
Sure, it will be a different feel. It will be a different feel. But that’s another one of those distractions that you can’t let take over. It’s not about me, it’s not about Dennis Allen vs. the Denver Broncos, it’s about the Oakland Raiders vs. the Denver Broncos. We’re going to need a lot more than just me out there to go win a game. So our focus is going to be on our team trying to exploit whatever weaknesses Denver has and eliminate the times that they’re able to exploit whatever vulnerabilities we have.
The Raiders are trying to rebound from an 0-2 start. They made the first step in defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. With the win, Oakland remained just one game behind the division-leading San Diego Chargers and has an excellent opportunity to make the playoffs in a seemingly weak AFC West.