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Broncos vs Raiders NFL Week 16 Odds & Expert Pick

Broncos vs Raiders NFL Week 16 Odds & Expert Pick

Written by on December 21, 2018

NFL News and Betting Previews| Xbet.ag
The Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos have a rivalry that dates back to 1960, when both teams played in the AFL’s Western Conference. They have met 118 times in the regular season and the playoffs, and the Raiders currently lead the series, 63-53-2. They last met in Week 2 of the regular season, with the Broncos scrambling for a 20-19 comeback win at home. Now the teams meet in a battle of teams that are not contending for the postseason but do have a divisional rivalry to carry on. Oakland pulled off a huge upset two weeks ago, beating Pittsburgh at home, but then they followed that up by going to Cincinnati and getting routed by an awful Bengals team. Denver saw a three-game winning streak end in San Francisco two weeks ago and then lost at home to Cleveland last week. Which of these two teams will break their downward spiral to win on Monday Night Football? We have your NFL betting prediction right here.

Broncos vs Raiders NFL Week 16 Odds & Expert Pick

When: Monday, December 24, 2018, 8:15pm ET Where: Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, CA TV: ESPN Radio: Westwood One Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Week 16 Odds: Oakland +2.5 O/U 44.5

Why should you bet on the Broncos?

Case Keenum has not delivered as the Broncos thought he might after his terrific season guiding the Minnesota offense last year. He has just 3,396 yards on the season, with a 15:12 TD:INT ratio. Tailback Philip Lindsay has been a nice surprise, running for 991 yards and nine touchdowns so far. Rookie Courtland Sutton has also brought highlights, catching 35 balls for 614 yards and three scores. Von Miller is still terrorizing quarterbacks, with 14 ½ sacks this season, along with a dozen from Bradley Chubb. It’s the offense that has struggled, averaging just under 22 points per game. The Broncos have only covered in two of their last eight AFC West games and in eight of their last 26 overall. The loss of Emmanuel Sanders has hampered their offense even more. If you like Denver, you think that Oakland will show up with even less motivation, playing on the road, and the Broncos will be able to eke out the win — or deliver the sort of rout that San Francisco delivered when Nick Mullens made his quarterback debut.

Why should you put your money on the Raiders?

Oakland will doubtless want some redemption from that 30-16 thumping they took in Cincinnati last week. Quarterback Derek Carr is still struggling to return to his pre-injury form, throwing for just 3,697 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Tailback Doug Martin is the leading rusher for the Raiders with just 516 yards and three scores, highlighting the difficulties Oakland has had finding balance. Tight end Jared Cook has been a lone bright spot, catching 63 passes for 848 yards and six scores. The team struggles mightily to score, putting up fewer than 19 points per contest. The Raiders have covered just three times in their last 10 contests and just once in their last five games against a sub-.500 team. This is not a team on the rise, and with the drama surrounding the team (the pending lawsuit from the city of Oakland, the uncertainty as to where they will play next year, and so on) maintaining focus has to be difficult. If you like Oakland, you see them throwing out an us-against-the-world mentality, but Jon Gruden has not succeeded in pulling that off yet this year, at least not on the road.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I’ve been waiting for Derek Carr to return to the form that saw him lead the Raiders to the brink of an AFC West title before injuries sent him to the sideline. I also hoped Case Keenum was finally ready to take the stage as an elite quarterback. Neither seems to be true yet. So for now, I’m not looking forward to watching this battle of two teams that would do better in draft positioning with a loss than with a win. I predict a final score of Denver 16, Oakland 13.
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