ALAMEDA, Calif. -- A flu bug and the common cold ravaged its way through the Oakland Raiders’ locker room and facility the week before they went to Denver for the regular season finale. The sicknesses were so debilitating that affected players and/or team employees had to wear surgical masks on the team’s charter flight in an effort to keep it from spreading.
The Raiders, then 12-3 with the AFC West title, playoff bye and accompanying home playoff game on the line, played their worst game of the season in a 24-6 loss to the Broncos, and Oakland fell into a wild-card slot.