Kiszla: In a nightmare before Christmas, Broncos get embarrassed by Oakland in the Black Hole. - The Denver Post

OAKLAND, Calif. – It was a nightmare before Christmas for the Broncos. It was Oakland 27, Denver 14.

“I’m ticked off. And I’m embarrassed,” Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe said late Monday.

It was the last night at the Black Hole. Bah. Humbug.

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Denver Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (55) sits on the bench late in the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018. Broncos lost 27-14.
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Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph, left, and Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden shake hands after the game at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018. Broncos lost 27-14.
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Denver Broncos quarterback Case Keenum (4) is sacked by Oakland Raiders free safety Karl Joseph (42) in the second quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay (30) escapes a tackle by Oakland Raiders free safety Karl Joseph (42) on the first play from scrimmage in the first quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay (30) gains yardage against Oakland Raiders free safety Erik Harris (25) in the third quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Denver Broncos defense enters the soggy field for warm-ups before playing the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Oakland Raiders fans show their support for their team to stay in Oakland before the game against the Denver Broncos at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Oakland Raiders coach Mark Davis talks with fans before the game against the Denver Broncos at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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The MaskaRaider, Oakland Raiders super fan, cheers for her team alongside of Denver Broncos fan Leo Garcia, center, during the first half of the game at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph, left, enters the field before his team played the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Denver Broncos running back Devontae Booker (23) gains a few yards on the opening kickoff against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Oakland Raiders wide receiver Dwayne Harris (17) picks up the ball from Denver Broncos cornerback Isaac Yiadom (41) and eventually runs it back for a 99-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018. Denver Broncos wide receiver Andre Holmes (19) tried to pin the ball down on the one-yard line to Yiadom, Yiadom lost control, Harris picked the ball up and ran for ta touchdown.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Dwayne Harris (17) runs for 99-yards on a punt return for a touchdown against Denver Broncos tight end Temarrick Hemingway (85), Denver Broncos linebacker Joe Jones (43) and Denver Broncos linebacker Shaquil Barrett (48) in the first quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) can't get ahold of this pass under the defense of Oakland Raiders cornerback Nick Nelson (23) in the second quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Oakland Raiders fans show their concern and support for the Raiders who are playing their last game at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum against the Denver Broncos Dec. 24, 2018.
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Denver Broncos quarterback Case Keenum (4) throws an incomplete pass resulting in a fourth down in the third quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph talks and disagrees with line judge Gary Arthur in the second half of the game against the Oakland Raiders quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick (81) makes a 26-yard reception against Oakland Raiders cornerback Rashaan Melvin (22) and Oakland Raiders free safety Erik Harris (25) in the third quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Denver Broncos quarterback Case Keenum (4) escapes tackles from Raiders defenders on a keeper in the third quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Oakland Raiders running back Jalen Richard (30) scores a touchdown against Denver Broncos inside linebacker Brandon Marshall (54) in the second half at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018.
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Oakland Raiders tight end Lee Smith (86) hoists Oakland Raiders running back Jalen Richard (30) in celebration after Richard scored a touchdown against Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018. Denver Broncos free safety Justin Simmons (31) can only watch the action. Denver lost 27-14.
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Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) argues with a teammate on the bench late in the fourth quarter during the game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018. The Broncos lost 27-14.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Oakland Raiders running back Jalen Richard (30) celebrates after leaping into the crowd after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018. The Broncos lost 27-14.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) on the bench looking up at the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter during the game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Dec. 24, 2018. The Broncos lost 27-14.

Out in the stadium parking lot, drenched in rain and awash in the scent of marijuana, there was a life-sized Darth Raider doll holding the severed head of a plastic Bronco, as a Mariachi trumpeter blared “Autumn Wind” beneath a home-made banner that declared: “The End is Near.”

“It’s a little melancholy. It’s sad and sucky. But let’s be honest. It won’t stop us from partying,” said Oakland die-hard Andy Coronado. He pointed to mistletoe hanging from his Raiders cap and added: “Sometimes it gets me a kiss from a pretty young woman. But it also attracts drunk guys that want to kiss me. Hey, it’s the risk you take.”

The Broncos visited Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Christmas Eve bearing gifts, the first of which was Isaac Yiadom’s inability to down a Denver punt near Oakland’s goal line, a mistake returner Dwayne Harris boldly picked up and promptly turned into an improbable 99-yard touchdown that staked the home team to a quick 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.

Down in Row 16 of Section 130, a dirty little secret was revealed as Harris scored for Oakland and Vince Gutierrez cheered: There are many Raiders fans living among us in Broncos Country.

Gutierrez was raised in Greeley but became an ardent devotee of the Silver and Black because he fell in love with Bo Jackson rather than John Elway as a child. How do you define love? Gutierrez made the 1,245-mile pilgrimage from Colorado in order to pay his final respects to the Black Hole, and dragged along a half dozen of his loved ones with him.

“Raiders all day!” declared Gutierrez, the 37-year-old proprietor of Vinny G’s Barber Shop in Denver. “We wanted to do some different for the holidays. And how many people go to the Black Hole for Christmas Eve? Not many.”

Back at the barber shop, clients that bleed orange and blue will no doubt tease Gutierrez he’s the Vince who Stole Christmas.

“But what’s the best thing about being a Raiders fan in Colorado? Everything,” Gutierrez countered. “Yes, it stinks that this is the last game in Oakland. But as long as they stay the Raiders, the Raiders fan will always be in me.”

With this defeat, Denver’s record dropped to 6-9, assuring a proud franchise of back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1972, when Elway was a 12-year-old son of a coach rather than the general manager in charge of this Broncos mess. It’s all over now except the dismissal of coach Vance Joseph.

“If you’re a competitor, when you lose, it … hurts,” said Wolfe, punctuating his pain with a curse word not fit for print on Christmas morning. “If you’re a competitor and you lose, it doesn’t matter if you lose in rock, paper scissors or an NFL football game, it hurts.”

The Raiders are trading Sodom for Gomorrah, leaving their dumpy, run-down digs here for all the sin and splendor of Las Vegas. They can’t get out of town fast enough, on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the city, and with a new stadium still under construction in Nevada, it’s uncertain where the team will play its home games in 2019.

But if this was the football apocalypse, most fans in Raider Nation were feeling fine, with the pain of their beloved NFL team deserting Oaktown numbed by shots of cognac, as beer bottles clinked with farewell toasts.

“It breaks my heart. But what are you going to do?” said Tony Valdivia, who serenaded Oakland loyalists with the Raiders fight song on his horn. “We all know the Raiders belong in Oakland. Fans don’t have a say, though. Money talks.”

When the scoreboard clock struck all zeros, a half dozen Oakland fans ran on the field, including one woman who heard screams of approval from the crowd as she was escorted away by security.

“This is an iconic place. It was a privilege to play the last game here. There’s a ton of football history here and a lot of great players have played on this field,” Wolfe said. “But it will be nice to never come back here again.”

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