On Monday Night Football, the Denver Broncos will travel to Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California to take on the Raiders. This Monday Night Football matchup will kick off at 8:15 PM.
The 2018 season hasn’t been kind to the Raiders. The return of John Gruden was supposed to usher in the golden age of Raiders football. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely accurate. However, at the very least, the Raiders looked as though they were signaling a change in culture. And, by the and 2018 no one will argue that the Raiders aren’t making big moves to change their team. They’ve traded away Kahlil Mack and Amari Cooper. What’s the left of the Raiders’ roster? It’s hard to say what direction the Raiders will head in 2019, but with two weeks remaining, it’s clear that John Gruden and company will continue to make dramatic changes to a franchise that was once a perennial contender.
The Broncos came into 2018 with a lot of promise. They had found a field manager to quarterback their offense in Case Keenum. Their defense looked to still have enough strength in the secondary to compete with the elite offenses in the league. They quickly struggled with consistency, however, on both sides of the ball, at home and on the road. Denver played many teams close, and even managed to beat playoff contenders in the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers in back to back weeks. While some players have emerged as serious contributors, the Denver offense and defense has a lot of question marks with their personal, both players and coaches.
Can the Raiders put together a solid performance in primetime?
According to NFL Stats, the Raiders offense ranks 22 in yards per game. As a team, they average a mere 18.6 points per game. Oakland has struggled in every aspect of their offense. Rushing or passing, it doesn’t matter, Oakland is bad at it.
Oakland’s quarterback, Derek Carr, has struggled throughout the season to put up points. On the season, Carr has thrown 19 touchdowns to 8 interceptions. He’s completing 68 percent of his passes, but still, the Raiders offense, devoid of elite position players, has done little to put up points.
The Broncos have beat some of the best, can they beat the rest?
According to NFL Stats, the Broncos offense ranks 18th in yards per game. As a team, the Raiders average 22 points per game. The Broncos have struggled in the passing game. Despite the offensive struggled, Denver has discovered a real gem in running back Phillip Lindsey. On the season, Lindsey has 991 rushing yards on 182 carries and 9 touchdowns. Additionally, he’s chipped in 33 receptions for 230 yards and one touchdown reception.
The Raiders don’t present much of a challenge to any team, but they did manage to beat the Steelers earlier this season. Denver cannot underestimate the Raiders in Oakland. The Raiders may not have much time left in the Coliseum, but those fans are fierce and perhaps the Raiders have one last hurrah left in the for the Oakland faithful. The Broncos need to attack the Raiders on the ground early and often.
Raider Vs Broncos Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Broncos favored to win the game by -3 points. The over/under on total points scored is 43.5 You can read our full BetOnline review here.
My Pick
Neither of these teams has anything to play. It would benefit both teams, in the long run, to lose and get a better draft position. But, that’s not how players or coaches approach these games. According to NFL Stats, the Raiders run defense ranks last in the NFL in terms of yards per game. Expect a big game from Phillip Lindsey as the Broncos ride their running back to victory.
Play: Broncos -3 @ BetOnline.ag
2018 Monday Night Football • Denver Broncos betting • NFL Betting 2018 • Oakland Raiders betting Pick