The Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders are playing for pride in this matchup on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything on the line. For one, a win by the Broncos would complete a remarkable comeback from a 1-5 start to a winning season. For the Raiders, this is another chance to show the front office that interim head coach Antonio Pierce is the guy to lead the team in the future.
Here is a breakdown of this meeting between traditional AFC West rivals.
Broncos vs. Raiders Betting Lines, Start Time, and More
All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Spread: Raiders -3
- Moneyline: Broncos (+130), Raiders (-155)
- Over/Under: 37
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. ET
- Location: Allegiant Stadium
- Channel: FOX
Broncos vs. Raiders Prediction
There are a lot of questions for both the Broncos and Raiders heading into the offseason. But for now, on the field, both teams have enjoyed impressive turnarounds to what both seemed like disastrous seasons.
Denver went through a miserable beginning to its season, losing five of its first six games, including that debacle against the Dolphins in Week 3 (70-20). But the Broncos have won seven of their last 10 games and have put themselves in position to finish with a winning season, almost unheard of back in mid-October.
The Raiders’ season got so bad that they ended up changing head coaches in mid-season, as Josh McDaniels was fired and Antonio Pierce was moved up to interim head coach.
And while the Raiders haven’t set the football world ablaze with their play since then — just 4-3 under Pierce — they did come up with that impressive 63-21 blowout of the Chargers, followed by a win over the Chiefs the following week.
Since Pierce took over as head coach, the Raiders have the league’s top-scoring defense, as they are allowing just 16.3 PPG since Week 9.
The Raiders are getting a lot of production from rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who has six touchdown passes and zero interceptions over his last three games. And last week, he threw for a career-high 299 yards in a loss to the Colts.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Denver will continue to go with one-time Raider Jarrett Stidham at quarterback on Sunday. In his first start of the season last week vs. the Chargers, Stidham threw for 224 yards with a touchdown and zero interceptions in the Broncos’ win.
In injury news, there is not a lot on the Broncos’ end, with the only players ruled out being tight end Chris Manhertz (illness) and offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (ribs).
For the Raiders, running back Josh Jacobs (quad) is out, as is tight end Michael Mayer (toe). Defensive end Maxx Crosby (knee) was limited in practice all week, but he doesn’t carry any injury designation heading into this game, so expect to see him suit up to play.
The Broncos, who are 2-4 vs. the spread as a road underdog, are 6-9-1 against the spread overall this season, but that overall ATS record is a little misleading. After failing to cover any of their first six games (0-5-1 ATS), the Broncos are 6-4 vs. the spread in their last 10 games.
As for the Raiders, they have covered each of their last three wins — 6-2 ATS in last eight games — and they are 4-1 vs. the spread as a home favorite this season.
The Raiders seem to be playing like they want to get the interim tag taken off Antonio Pierce’s job title. What happens after this game is uncertain, but it’s hard not to like what the Raiders are doing on the field lately.
Give the points because this will be more than a field goal game.
Best Bet: Raiders -3 (-108 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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