ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The last time the Broncos beat the Raiders at home, Sports Authority Field at Mile High had a different name.
It was Week 2 of the 2007 season, and the Broncos triumphed in overtime, 23-20, at INVESCO Field at Mile High.
Over the next four seasons, the Raiders notched four wins in Denver by a combined score of 133-63.
"(There's) no explanation," cornerback Champ Bailey said. "Plain and simple. They came in here, kicked our butts and went home. That pretty much sums it up."
For that reason alone, Bailey said he shouldn't have to explain to his teammates the importance of Sunday's AFC West-opening matchup.
"First and foremost, it's a division game," Bailey said. "You put a little more emphasis on those, just because you want to win your division. You can't do it if you don't beat your division teams. That, in itself, is enough to make you want to go out there and beat them.
"Plus, we hate the Raiders around here," he continued with a laugh. "That's just, when you're a Bronco for a little while, you understand the passion for hating a team like that."
That's not to say the Broncos haven't beaten the Raiders during that timeframe. In Oakland, the Broncos won 38-24 last season, 23-3 in 2009 and 41-14 in 2008.
But in order to break the Silver and Black's streak in Denver, Bailey knows the team must eliminate mistakes it made in a losses to Atlanta and Houston.
Raiders Head Coach Dennis Allen, Bailey recalled, likes to pinpoint ways previous opponents found success and incorporate them into his gameplan.
"He has a creative mind when it comes to trying to stop somebody," he said. "I'm sure we're going to get some of the same looks we saw last week to see if we corrected this stuff. I'm looking forward to it to see what they do."
Bailey said it's disappointing to see the same mistake made twice when watching film, and that the Broncos can't do that if they want to beat a talented Raiders team.
In particular, the defense will have to constantly keep its eyes on Oakland running back Darren McFadden.
For his career, McFadden has averaged 6.3 yards per carry against the Broncos -- nearly 2 more yards per carry than his career average.
"For the last couple of years, I think he's the best back in the game because of what he can do, all the different things," Bailey said. "He picks up blitzes, he does it all. If they're not using him enough, then they're hurting themselves. That guy's an amazing player and we're aware of what he can do."
Going up against a team coached by Allen -- Denver's defensive coordinator in 2011 -- could provide a challenge because of the knowledge he has of the Broncos' personnel.
But Bailey said he's not overly concerned about that possibility.
"Our defense is different," he said. "He's on top of it, but there's only so much he can do in the 30 seconds he's going to have to try to warn his guys about what we're doing. Maybe it can be a halftime adjustment, but it is what it is. We've got to go play our game. He can't go out there and play, so I'm not really worried about what he's telling them."
