Las Vegas Raiders-Denver Broncos prediction: Will tide turn at Allegiant Stadium?
RAIDERS-BRONCOS AT A GLANCE
Kickoff: 1:05 p.m. PST Sunday at Allegiant Stadium
Fresno TV/radio: KGPE-47/KFPT (790 AM)
Records: Raiders 5-3, Broncos 3-5
The line: Bovada favors the Raiders by 3.5; OddsChecker has it Raiders by 4.
The Matchup
The Raiders have a mini two-game win streak.
Can they continue that momentum against the Broncos with a huge game against fellow AFC West rival Kansas City looming?
Certainly coach Jon Gruden doesn’t believe his team is looking ahead.
“We don’t look past anybody,” Gruden said. “We have enough issues right now. We’re just trying to get ready for the next day and the next game, and that’s all Denver. We got a lot of respect for Denver, believe me. We’ve competed against them in the past, we know them well and they know us well. It’s going to be a tough one for us.”
The Raiders have done well on the road this season, going 4-1.
But it’s in Las Vegas where the Raiders need a turnaround after a home opening win over the New Orleans Saints.
The Raiders are just 1-2 at their new stadium.
“It’s disappointing,” Gruden said. “That’s really disappointing. We only got one fan that comes to the game, so we blame Bob Stiriti our security man, he’s our only fan. We have to get Bob Stiriti fired up to make some noise. That’s been a real problem. We love playing in our stadium. We have tremendous respect for who we represent.”
Maybe the disappointment will end Sunday, with oddsmakers favoring the Raiders. But the Broncos are capable of putting up a fight, as they did against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Broncos trailed 27-6 in the third quarter and 34-13 in the fourth in Week 9 before falling to the Falcons 34-27.
Denver is without star defensive end Von Miller, who was placed on injured reserve because of an ankle injury suffered against the Tennessee Titans in the season opener.
Gruden knows about the dangers posed by Broncos head coach Vic Fangio’s defense, even without Miller.
“We have a lot of respect for (Nick) Chubb. (Jeremiah) Attaochu has given us problems in the past. It’s a credit to this coach, Fangio. He’s one of the best. You don’t really know who’s coming in Denver, so you have to really be on your game. They’ve played and they’ve been in serious battles every week without their quarterback (Drew Lock), without Von Miller, without some key players.”
▪ Former Broncos running back Devontae Booker signed a one-year deal with the Raiders in March.
▪ The Raiders have won four straight home games against the Broncos and lead the all-time series 64-53-2.
Injury report
Raiders: OUT: DT Maurice Hurst (ankle). DOUBTFUL: T Kolton Miller (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: G Gabe Jackson (illness).
Broncos: OUT: LB Joseph Jones (calf). QUESTIONABLE: CB Bryce Callahan (ankle), T Demar Dotson (groin, hand), WR Jerry Jeudy (shoulder), T Jake Rodgers (shoulder), WR Diontae Spencer (shoulder).
Prediction
It is another big AFC West matchup for the Raiders. So far, the Raiders are 2-0 in the division this season, with the rematch against the first-place Chiefs ahead next week.
Experts have staked out the following positions:
NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal expects a close game, but gives the Raiders a 27-23 win.
CBS Sports’ Will Brinson also thinks it will be close, but still picks the Raiders for a 31-28 victory. Pete Prisco sees a shootout, with the Raiders coming out on top 34-31.
All 10 ESPN experts are going with the Raiders.
AFC West games are always tough, no matter the matchup. But will this game even be close?
The Raiders went on the road within the division and defeated the Chiefs by eight points and the Chargers by five points.
Two of the five Raiders’ victories on this season’s schedule were by 10 (New Orleans and Cleveland).
Prediction: Raiders 37, Broncos 20
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 9:27 PM.
