Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning have a history that goes back to 2003.
When Manning was with the Indianapolis Colts, he went up against Del Rio twice per season when he was the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Additionally, Del Rio and Manning spent time more recently joining forces when Del Rio was the defensive coordinator for the Broncos from 2012-2014.
This Sunday, the two will be face to face once again when the Raiders host the Broncos in Week 5. Speaking on the task at hand, which would be to beat his rival, Del Rio shared this (via Sirius XM):
“I really loved having (Manning) on my team, but now it will be much like it was when I was Jacksonville,” Del Rio said. “We’re going after him. We want to take him down. He’s really good at what he does, and we know we’ll have a heck of a challenge. But the competitive part kicks in. Now we’re on opposite sidelines, and it’s time to go compete.”
Del Rio’s record of going up against the former Colt is is 5-11. He will be looking to better that record in the AFC West matchup this week.
During the course of Manning’s four games this season, we have all witnessed the slow regression of the quarterback. He has taken 10 sacks and has already been intercepted five times. Additionally, Manning has only scored six touchdowns.
While the Raiders will be looking to put pressure on Manning and add to his interception and sack stats, Del Rio had nothing but high regards when he described the legendary quarterback.
“I think the biggest thing is, I appreciated having him on my team,” Del Rio said of Manning. “I mean, the guy is an unbelievable competitor. Obviously, he’s had a storied career. The reason is, the preparation, the work ethic, the countless hours that he spends going over the tape, the number of assistants that he has working on breaking down film and going back over every single sign he’s ever seen and every defensive call and every blitz.”
The Raiders, who are hanging in there with two wins so far this season, have dealt eight sacks and registered three interceptions in four games. With Manning’s sketchy start to the season, he could certainly be vulnerable to the Raiders middling defense that wants to “take him down.”