DENVER (AP) — The Davante Adams drama arrived just in time for the Las Vegas Raiders' trip to Denver, where they'll try to extend their confounding winning streak over the Broncos to nine games.
Dysfunction has not waylaid the Raiders during their dominance of their division rivals.
They won in Denver in 2021 just days after Jon Gruden's resignation and handed longtime special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia a win in his debut as interim head coach. A year later in Las Vegas, an embattled Josh McDaniels got his first win as a head coach since being fired by Denver in 2010.
The Raiders (2-2) reportedly have had conversations with several teams since Monday when Adams, who missed last week's game against Cleveland with a hamstring injury, told the team he preferred to play elsewhere.
“Davante’s dealing with a hamstring (injury),” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “He’s rehabbing, and the rest of us are focusing on Denver.”
The Raiders may not have Adams top of mind but the Broncos (2-2) sure do.
They spent plenty of time during the week preparing as if they'll face Adams on Sunday — when the Broncos pay homage to their “Orange Crush” defense that led them to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1977.
Broncos coach Sean Payton relayed how he neglected to prepare for an injured DeMarcus Ware in 2013 and the then-Cowboys star harassed Saints QB Drew Brees all game: “It was a tough coaching lesson,” Payton said.
The Broncos, who ended a 16-game skid against the Kansas City Chiefs last year, haven't beaten the Raiders since Dec. 29, 2019, when Shelby Harris’ knockdown of Derek Carr’s 2-point pass to an open Hunter Renfrow with 7 seconds left preserved Denver’s 16-15 victory on the final weekend of the regular season.
That put an emphatic end to the Raiders' run in Oakland as the franchise relocated to Las Vegas the next year and haven't lost to Denver since.
Neither team wanted to talk much about the recent one-sided nature of the rivalry or its confounding nature — take away games against each other and the Raiders are 24-35 since 2020 and the Broncos are 25-33.
“I don't even think about the past,” said left tackle Garett Bolles, the longest-tenured Bronco. “I'm just focused on Sunday.”
So is Pierce, who bristled when asked if the Raiders' dominating the series of late gives Las Vegas any kind of psychological edge.
“In 2024 we haven’t. We haven’t played them yet. So, the past is the past,” Pierce said. “You can’t talk about those 8, 12, 20 games, whatever many years back. We’re talking about this year, the 2024 Raiders and the Broncos, and they’re playing really good. They’re coming off a two-game winning streak on the road against two good quarterbacks and teams, and it’s going to be a challenge for us on the road against that team.”
The Broncos are turning back the clock to 1977 on Sunday when they'll honor the “Orange Crush” led by 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Randy Gradishar. Two of his teammates from that era, Steve Foley and Riley Odoms, will be inducted into the team's Ring of Fame.
The Broncos are also debuting their throwback uniforms, the field paint design will replicate the 1977 AFC championship game, the scoreboards and stadium signage will feature throwback design elements and hits from the late 1970s will be played throughout the game.
Raiders defensive end Charles Snowden went undrafted in 2021 out of Virginia and then spent most of his career on practice squads. Snowden’s only appearances were in two games in 2021 with the Chicago Bears.
Las Vegas found itself thin at defensive end after the injuries to Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce this season and Snowden has taken advantage, appearing in all four games and making critical plays in Sunday’s 20-16 victory over the Browns.
Snowden batted down a Cleveland pass on second down at the Raiders 22-yard line. Two plays later on fourth-and-3 at the 9, Snowden sacked Deshaun Watson to seal the victory.
Snowden’s playing time doesn’t figure to diminish with Koonce out for the season with a torn ACL and Crosby possibly not playing at Denver because of a high ankle sprain.
Being the NFL draft’s seventh overall pick last year brought extra scrutiny to Las Vegas defensive end Tyree Wilson. He was coming off a foot injury in his final season at Texas Tech and didn’t practice well into training camp. That lack of preparation showed in what was a largely underwhelming rookie season for Wilson.
Pro Football Focus said Wilson was the highest-rated Raiders player against the Browns with a trio of QB pressures. “I know who I can be,” Wilson said. “It takes work. It takes time to get to that point.”
AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson contributed.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams is tackled by Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) reacts after recovering a fumble by the New York Jets during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) reacts after throwing his first touchdown pass against the New York Jets during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith has provided a road map for how prosecutors hope to prove their case charging former President Donald Trump with an illegal scheme to overturn his 2020 election loss — if it ever gets to trial.
In court papers unsealed Wednesday, Smith's team details new evidence of Trump's “increasingly desperate” efforts to cling to power even as those close to him sought to convince him that he had lost the presidency.
It comes just over a month before the presidential election that could determine the future of the case.
The Republican presidential nominee, who has railed against the case as politically motivated, slammed the filing in a NewsNation interview, calling it “pure election interference” and “weaponization of the government.”
Here's a look at what the filing means and what's next:
The purpose of the filing is to convince U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington that allegations against Trump can move forward to trial even after the Supreme Court in July ruled that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution.
While the Supreme Court said former presidents have at least presumptive immunity for actions taken in their official role as president, the justices said they are not shielded from prosecution for things they do in their private capacity.
Smith's team is trying to make the case that Trump's prosecution is not off limits because he was acting as a private candidate for office — not a commander in chief — when he schemed to overturn the will of voters. Prosecutors say Trump “must stand trial for his private crimes as would any other citizen.”
“Although the defendant was the incumbent President during the charged conspiracies, his scheme was fundamentally a private one,” prosecutors wrote.
“Working with a team of private co-conspirators, the defendant acted as a candidate when he pursued multiple criminal means to disrupt, through fraud and deceit, the government function by which votes are collected and counted—a function in which the defendant, as President, had no official role."
The case was supposed to go to trial in March in Washington's federal court but was put on hold last December so Trump could appeal his sweeping claims of presidential immunity. Trump had asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the case entirely, saying it the "Presidency itself cannot retain its vital independence, if the President faces criminal prosecution for official acts once he leaves office.”
While the Supreme Court didn't dismiss the case, it effectively stripped from the indictment allegations involving Trump’s dealings with the Justice Department. And it sent the case back to Chutkan to determine which of the remaining allegations in the indictment involve official actions for which Trump may be immune from prosecution and which allegations, if any, can move forward to trial.
In August, Smith's team filed a new indictment that kept the same criminal charges but narrowed the allegations in an attempt to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Trump's lawyers had objected to the filing, accusing prosecutors of wanting to publicize their “politically motivated manifesto” to hurt Trump's campaign in the final weeks before the election.
The defense will now get a chance to respond to the arguments from Smith's team. Trump's response was due later this month, but Chutkan agreed to give the defense until Nov. 7 after they asked for an extension.
Meanwhile, Trump's lawyers are continuing their efforts to have the case dismissed. The defense on Thursday filed court papers challenging the case on legal grounds, saying prosecutors stretched the laws "beyond their breaking point based on false claims that President Trump is somehow responsible for events at the Capitol.”
Trump's lawyers have argued that the allegations in the indictment — including conversations with his vice president and pressing state officials on the administration of elections — cut to the core of Trump’s responsibilities as commander in chief. Trump attorney John Lauro told the judge during a hearing last month that the Supreme Court’s opinion required the outright dismissal of the case — a position the judge made clear she did not accept.
Even if the judge agrees with prosecutors, the case isn't heading to trial anytime soon. Her rulings are expected to be appealed — likely all the way to the Supreme Court.
And if Trump defeats Vice President Kamala Harris, he could appoint an attorney general who would seek the dismissal of this case and the other federal prosecutions he faces. Or Trump could potentially order a pardon for himself.
The filing gives Democrats new material to use as they campaign against Trump and offers voters a reminder of the allegations just a month out from Election Day, even as voting has already begun in some states.
Trump, too, has seized on the report, casting it as yet another effort by his rivals to try to hobble his campaign — complaints that have proven a powerful motivator for his base and a boon for his fundraising.
It’s unclear, though, what impact it will have on voters, given the wealth of detail about the 2020 campaign that has already been released as well as Trump’s multiple indictments. In polling, concerns about protecting democracy have typically lagged behind concerns about issues like the economy and inflation.
That includes a recent CNN poll that found 4 in 10 likely voters said the economy was their most important issue when deciding how to vote, versus about 2 in 10 who said it was protecting democracy.
The issue of protecting democracy appears to be more important for Democrats and voters already backing Harris. Roughly 4 in 10 voters who support Harris say it is their top issue. For Republicans and Trump supporters, about 6 in 10 name the economy as their top voting issue, followed by immigration. Just 5% of Trump supporters said protecting democracy was their top issue.
Associated Press reporters Jill Colvin in New York and Linley Sanders contributed to this report.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at campaign event at Discovery World, Friday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
