One of the biggest battles of the football season is Sunday night in Oakland: the Raiders take on the Denver Broncos in a rare primetime game for the East Bay team.
“Many people are saying this is the biggest game since Super Bowl 2002,” Save Oakland Sports’ Chris Dobbins said.
The Raiders take on the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. With a 6-2 record, the Raiders are on their way to their first winning season in 14 years, and fans think they have a great chance at beating the Broncos.
“I have a lot of confidence in our team. I love Derek Carr, Crabtree and the rest of the guys, and I think that we can win,” said Leslie Muniz, a longtime Raiders fan from San Jose.
At Ricky’s Sports Theatre and Grill, a Raiders shrine and sports bar in San Leandro, a father and son from Florida root for Bay Area teams.
“We were able to go see the Warriors last night; Saturday night, we’re seeing the Sharks and Penguins – go Sharks! – and Sunday, Raiders and Broncos – and I’m a diehard Raiders fan,” George Seliga said.
He hopes a win here at home could keep the Raiders from moving to Las Vegas, or anywhere else.
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“They’re the Oakland Raiders, and that means so much,” Seliga said.
Save Oakland Sports, a group working to keep all professional sports teams from leaving Oakland, will be handing out 10,000 signs reading “Stay in Oakland” to fans on Sunday to hold up during the nationally televised game.
“We’re just putting out a positive message, saying, ‘Look, Mr. Davis, we’re Raider Nation. We love your family, but you need to stay in Oakland,’” Dobbins said.
Another group, Raider Fans for Oakland, raised more than $3,000 to pay for a flyover during the game. Their banner will read: “Vegas, if you build it we won’t come.”
Sunday’s game airs at 5:30 p.m. on NBC Bay Area.
