The Raiders may be missing their two best players against the Broncos in their Week 5 matchup

The Denver Broncos return home for their first divisional game of the season in Week 5, a late afternoon matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. The game isn't on Friday the 13th, but Raiders All-Pro pass rusher Maxx Crosby was something of a Freddy Krueger for the Denver Broncos anyway. Thanks largely to Crosby's dominance, the Raiders have won eight straight games against the Broncos.

But the nightmare could finally end in Week 5, as Crosby is one of several superstar players who may not be used as both the Broncos and Raiders look to improve to 3-2 on the season and an early one Avoid defeat in the division game.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce met with the media on Wednesday afternoon and while the focus was on answering questions about disgruntled wide receiver Davante Adams (who has apparently officially requested a trade from Vegas), there are also other question marks surrounding Maxx Crosby , who wasn't active or even present for the Raiders' Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns.

Of course, a high ankle sprain is not something to be trifled with, as a single setback could mean a long-term injury problem for a player.

With Adams seemingly never playing for the Raiders again and Crosby on the mend and not practicing on Wednesday, could it be that the Broncos will face the Raiders on Sunday afternoon without their two best players?

It's not out of the question and could actually be the likely scenario.

The Raiders obviously found a way to win against the Cleveland Browns without these two guys, certainly not an easy task. The Raiders also traveled to Baltimore earlier this season and picked up a win. There's no reason for the Broncos to count this game as a win just because two guys aren't playing, but the opportunity to face the Raiders without Crosby in the lineup would give the Broncos an unexpected and major advantage.

The Broncos haven't allowed a sack in two straight games, but the Raiders have been a productive pass-rushing team this season with or without Crosby.

And there's still a chance Crosby could play for the Raiders this weekend.

Crosby has not been a fan of missing a game due to injury, recently stating on a podcast that it was the first time in his life that he had missed a game due to injury. He didn't like it, but Antonio Pierce's comment about “protecting Maxx Crosby from Maxx Crosby” could play a big role in this situation and perhaps even cause a rift between Crosby and the organization.

We'll know more as the week progresses, but Crosby will obviously be committed to playing against the Broncos. Whether the Raiders will allow him remains to be seen.