The Oakland Raiders come into Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos as 14-point underdogs, with a shaky journeyman quarterback and facing a likely playoff team.
But if you haven't noticed with these Raiders, these are the only kind of games they ever win.
The Raiders' visit to Mile High this Sunday fits the formula of their two recent wins: opponent regarded as a playoff contender, double-digit point spread, someone other than JaMarcus Russell playing quarterback.
And another reason this could be considered a legitimate upset possibility -- the entire famed stable of Broncos running backs all happen to be currently injured.
The Associated Press reports that each of the three running backs on the Broncos' roster, Correll Buckhalter, Knowshon Moreno, and our old friend LaMont Jordan, are currently ailing. Buckhalter won't play, Moreno and Jordan will make a go of it with a gimpy ankle and back, respectively.
Yes, the Broncos do still have last week's record-setting receiver Brandon Marshall playing. But the Broncos will also have Nnamdi Asomugha plastered onto Marshall, so don't expect any such gaudy individual statistics from Marshall this week.
And remember, these Raiders had only two wins on their resume last season when they went to Denver in late November. They ended up winning, 31-10.
Sports
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who is no stranger to losing large sums money by taking the points and Charlie Frye.
