Denver Broncos vs Las Vegas Raiders prediction and odds

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The Denver Broncos kick off the Sean Payton era with a home game against AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders. Jimmy Garoppolo makes his debut at quarterback for the team, replacing the Derek Carr era after 9 seasons.

Denver Broncos vs Las Vegas Raiders – Game predictions

Contents

1 Denver Broncos vs Las Vegas Raiders – Game predictions
- 1.1 Prediction 1: Broncos -3.5 @ -105 (1.95)
- 1.2 Prediction 2: Javonte Williams anytime touchdown scorer @ +170 (2.70)
2 Broncos vs Raiders preview – Who holds the lead?
3 Key match details

The Broncos are a 3.5-point home favorite with a total of 44 points. The line has moved down from 5.5 as we get closer to game day, but one would expect a close battle between the teams that played in a league-high 15 close games in the fourth quarter last year.

Prediction 1: Broncos -3.5 @ -105 (1.95)

The Raiders (6) and Broncos (5) combined to blow 11 fourth-quarter leads last year, the most in the NFL. They will be looking for stronger play this year and to finish games. Garoppolo and Russell Wilson have met several times before as division rivals and the games usually always stayed within 10 points. Division games are tough, but the gut says Payton has a strong debut at home and gets his team the cover as the Broncos should have a better defense than the Raiders this year. The offense just has to show improvement, which is Payton’s specialty.

Prediction 2: Javonte Williams anytime touchdown scorer @ +170 (2.70)

One of the worst things Nathaniel Hackett did last year was red zone (Denver ranked 32nd) and using running back Javonte Williams before he tore his ACL. Coming from New Orleans, this is where Payton should excel in getting his best back the ball, especially near the goal line. The Raiders are still soft on defense and with Jerry Jeudy uncertain to play, few Denver scoring options are better values than Javonte to reach the end zone for the first time since his rookie year.

Broncos vs Raiders preview – Who holds the lead?

The Broncos come in with higher playoff odds than the Raiders, but they must end a 6-game losing streak to their rivals. Denver has not won against the Raiders since 2019.

Denver Broncos form, news and injuries

Injuries did not help the Broncos’ offense last year, and Jerry Jeudy is already dealing with a hamstring issue that could keep him out this week. Jeudy was Wilson’s best target last year, so this is a big one to watch. But Marvin Mims Jr. is an interesting rookie who could be a big-play threat for Denver.

Denver Broncos injury report:

WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) is questionable
CB Riley Moss (abdomen) is questionable
TE Chris Manhertz (chest) is questionable
LB Baron Browning (knee) is out
CB K’Waun Williams (ankle) is out
WR Tim Patrick (Achilles) is out
S P.J. Locke (leg) is out
ILB Jonas Griffith (knee) is out
DT Forrest Merrill (undisclosed) is out
WR Jalen Virgil (meniscus) is out
OT Alex Palczewski (hand) is out

Las Vegas Raiders form, news and injuries

The Raiders come in relatively injury free. They have the rushing champion in Josh Jacobs, and Davante Adams led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches. Garoppolo could even be an improvement over Carr, but the defense must play better. It is not helping that Chandler Jones is having a very public social media beef with the team right now. His playing status is uncertain and a situation to monitor.