by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Sep 28, 2022
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Where to watch: CBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Raiders -2
FanDuel: Raiders -1.5
BetMGM: Raiders -2
Caesars: Raiders -2
Season record
Broncos: 2-1
Raiders: 0-3
Are you not entertained by the NFL season one month in? What action we've had, and we're already down to the point where the 1972 Miami Dolphins can start popping champagne. Only three undefeated teams remain heading into the Monday Night matchup and there were upsets galore this past weekend. And of course, nothing was more electric than our own Wayne Root going 8-2-0 in the NFL this past weekend. So many upsets, so many big covers and backdoor covers, what in the world will Week 4 hold? Make sure you're following Wayne and our other champion handicappers to find out what we're rolling with so you may get on the action. You can find all of this on our Best Bets page.
Broncos - Raiders preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Broncos: won 11-10 vs. 49ers
Raiders: lost 24-22 at Titans
How bad are things right now for the Denver Broncos, you might be asking yourself? They, the 2-1 football team that has escaped with two wins by the skin of their teeth, are the underdogs in the matchup with the 0-3 football team that has found different ways to lose through three weeks. I don’t think things were expected to be this bad through a 2-1 start in the Russell Wilson era, but the Broncos have found a way to be anemic on offense with no real solution. Thankfully, the defense remains as good as it’s been for the longest time and showed up when needed in the *checks notes* 11-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. Wilson, in his second home start in Denver, went 20 of 33 for 184 yards and somehow outdueled Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco. Courtland Sutton was his favorite target by catching eight passes for 97 yards. The only touchdown for the Broncos was a Melvin Gordon 1-yard run with 4:10 to go that won the game. The Denver defense got to Garoppolo four times and picked him off once. Other than that, the Broncos survived the ugliest game in Wilson’s career.
How bad are things right now for the Denver Broncos, you might be asking yourself? They, the 2-1 football team that has escaped with two wins by the skin of their teeth, are the underdogs in the matchup with the 0-3 football team that has found different ways to lose through three weeks. I don’t think things were expected to be this bad through a 2-1 start in the Russell Wilson era, but the Broncos have found a way to be anemic on offense with no real solution. Thankfully, the defense remains as good as it’s been for the longest time and showed up when needed in the *checks notes* 11-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. Wilson, in his second home start in Denver, went 20 of 33 for 184 yards and somehow outdueled Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco. Courtland Sutton was his favorite target by catching eight passes for 97 yards. The only touchdown for the Broncos was a Melvin Gordon 1-yard run with 4:10 to go that won the game. The Denver defense got to Garoppolo four times and picked him off once. Other than that, the Broncos survived the ugliest game in Wilson’s career.
“We're still learning each other as a whole new system,” Wilson said . “There's so much greatness in store, and I can't wait for it.
"But just watching our defense battle, battle, battle ... everyone believed in each other and that's what football is all about."
God bless the optimist that is Russell Wilson. Somehow, this group won a game with him being that bad. The Denver offense had nine three-and-outs and not a single touchdown pass. Not even in the dog days in Seattle was this as bad as it’s been. Nathaniel Hackett has had to hire coaches out of retirement to help him gameplan throughout the course of a game. Like, how bad do you have to be and how fraudulent of a coach do you need to be – coming from the Aaron Rodgers coaching tree, no less – that you can’t figure things out offensively? This team should be way better than advertised. Hopefully, as it hits the road to Sin City, Denver can figure it out.
Because the Las Vegas Raiders are not any better right now with their situation. Sitting at 0-3 and the only winless team left in the NFL, the Raiders have found different ways to lose through three weeks. Whether it be not matching up when needed against the Chargers, blowing a 20-point lead against the Cardinals, or not capitalizing on turnovers and plays in their favor in Tennessee, one thing can be certain as it pertains to the Raiders: It’s on Derek Carr. No one else will say that but him. I swear, it’s a broken record with Carr. Whenever the Raiders lose, it’s on him. “I need to be better,” “it’s on me,” etc. Things are just bad when Carr has to accept blame. And for the most part, it is on him. The other part is on Josh McDaniels and his horrendous gameplanning through three weeks. The Raiders’ offense which was supposed to be one of the best in the NFL has turned into an unmitigated disaster with no balance.
Carr went 26 of 44 for 303 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while the running game had just 19 carries for 96 yards. Davante Adams had just five catches for 36 yards and a touchdown, while his superstar ability found its way to Mack Hollins (8 catches, 158 yards, 1 TD).
"I'm looking for us to try to improve and play a full 60-minute game, where we actually start well, play well in all three phases, see what that looks like. I'm not sure that we've done that yet," McDaniels said.
No kidding, Josh. No kidding.
Prediction
This has to be the week, right? Taking on a Denver team down in the dumps with no real way to get them back up has to be the week the Raiders win, right? I’m going to probably regret this. Raiders by 7
Betting trends
Broncos are 6-6 ATS in their last 12 as a road underdog.
Broncos are 1-6 ATS in their last seven off an upset win as an underdog.
Raiders are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 as a favorite.
Raiders are 8-10 ATS in their last 18 home games.
Statistical leaders
Broncos:
Passing: Russell Wilson -- 743 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Javonte Williams -- 176 yards
Receiving: Courtland Sutton -- 291 yards
Defense: Bradley Chubb -- 3 sacks
Raiders:
Passing: Derek Carr -- 850 yards, 6 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Josh Jacobs -- 192 yards
Receiving: Mack Hollins -- 240 yards, 1 TD
Defense: Maxx Crosby -- 2 sacks
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
