Betting predictions for Raiders at Broncos

We're not sure what level of embarrassment fans of the Las Vegas Raiders are willing to tolerate. But losing to the Colts, a team that not only looked like it was knocked down but was at the count of nine, has to be cause for a lot of concern.

The Raiders have seemingly, endlessly, been full of the promise of rising into the NFL elite. And they just don't fulfill that promise.

At 2-7 (3-6 ATS), they are not very hopeful of getting to the postseason. So with a franchise that once professed a "commitment to excellence" that naturally fuels a certain amount of speculation. They made the playoffs last year under an interim coach after Jon Gruden was forced to leave the scene. They were looking forward to moving ahead with a former top assistant to Bill Belichick.

Unfortunately, he had already "been there, done that" with the Denver Broncos, and all had not gone well there.

And guess what? The Broncos are not doing all that well with the new coach THEY have, and that's a genuine downer because he is a former mentor of Aaron Rodgers. Plus, a new quarterback came along well. He was not Rodgers, as had been rumored for a while, but Russell Wilson, who is still four MVP awards behind A.R.

The Raiders and Broncos will battle it out to see, well, who stinks the least in the AFC West. It's slated for 4:05 PM ET at Mile High.

Here are the NFL betting odds that have been posted on this game, according to the folks at BetOnline:

Denver Broncos      -2.5 (-122)
Las Vegas Raiders +2.5 (+102)

Over 41 Points -110
Under 41 Points -110

We're not suggesting Josh McDaniels has one foot out the door in Vegas. Owner Mark Davis has asked that everybody be patient. Davis also doesn't want to eat another big contract. But there is no "magic dust" involved in how McDaniels has brought the "Belichick Way" to Sin City.

Having lost last week to one former (albeit for just a few minutes) employer, the Colts, McDaniels has an opportunity for some satisfaction against a team that fired him in his first head coaching stint. The Raiders did okay without him last season, sweeping Denver on the road to the playoffs and racking up 372 rushing yards in the process.

And even though the Broncos rank first in the league in a number of defensive categories, defending the run (on a per-carry basis anyway) is not one of them, as they've allowed 4.7 yards per attempt.

So yes, Josh Jacobs may be able to run a little. But the Silver and Black are still without Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller, both on injured reserve.

And while we're on the subject of receivers, Jerry Jeudy is still hurt for the Broncos, and that is one guy who could stretch the field. When you have been operating on offense the way coach Nathaniel Hackett and quarterback Russell Wilson have, that counts for a whole lot. And remember, without Javonte Williams in the backfield, this Denver ground game is listless.

Want to see a perfect storm? Denver is both last in the league in red zone TD offense and first in the NFL in red zone TD defense. And that is one reason why they keep playing unders (20 of last 26). So our play is to go UNDER the total of 41.

Remember that at BetOnline, you can get Odds Boosters, which offers explosive payouts and pre-selected parlays everyday of the week........ Come on board and grab a 50% Sports Welcome Bonus, and don't worry about your payment method, because they accept credit cards as well as any conceivable cryptocurrency!