Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels is heading to Denver this weekend to play his former team. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Raiders HC Josh McDaniels tries to resurrect career in Denver

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 11/18/22

Josh McDaniels is trying to resurrect his head coaching career in Denver, where it initially failed.

McDaniels is returning to Denver as head coach of the Raiders for the first time since his stint as the Broncos head coach in 2009-10.

Coincidentally, a home loss to the Raiders in Week 15 of 2009 caused his tenure to crash. Quarterback Jamarcus Russell, considered one of the biggest draft busts of all time, threw a touchdown pass in the final minute, upsetting the Broncos, 20-19.

2009 Week 15 (12/20/09):

JaMarcus Russell connects with Chaz Schilens for a 10 yard game winning TD to upset the Broncos 20-19 in Denver#RaiderNation #LVvsDEN pic.twitter.com/LA3yeB8n3Y
— Raiders Reels (@RaidersReels) October 13, 2021

McDaniels' Broncos were never the same. They narrowly missed the playoffs that season, losing their final two games. After a 6-0 start, McDaniels went 5-17 in his final 22 games in Denver. The franchise fired him before the end of the 2010 season, in Week 13.

However, he doesn't hold a grudge because he believes it helped him grow.

"They gave me a great opportunity," McDaniels said in a Wednesday news conference. "I've used it many times... to try to improve myself, hopefully, as a coach and person."

Live: Coach Josh McDaniels addresses the media live from the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center in Henderson. https://t.co/NNNmcpycpR
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 16, 2022

McDaniels has matured, but he's struggling to master the art of head coaching. The Raiders are last in the AFC West and have lost six games by seven points or less.

The Raiders were a talented 10-7 team that made the playoffs in 2021, raising questions about his head coaching abilities.

"Josh McDaniels is definitely not suited to be a head coach," former six-time Pro Bowl wideout Brandon Marshall, who played for McDaniels in 2009, told Fanduel host Kay Adams.

“Josh McDaniels is definitely not suited to be a head coach… When you go into a losing locker room the first thing you have to do is be able to get into the players mind and hearts and he is not capable of doing that.” - @BMarshall
⁰: @FanDuelTV | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/PpoG42yXtU
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) November 11, 2022

He's 13-24 as a head coach, so he must start winning games to prove Marshall is wrong.

The Raiders have a winnable game on the road in Denver. According to ESPN's Football Power Index, they have a 63.5 percent chance to win.

The Broncos are 1-7 in their last eight divisional games. If the Raiders win Sunday, they can avoid the AFC West cellar and may start to reverse McDaniels' fortunes since 2009.

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