The Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos were part of some big upsets last week. The Raiders recorded another upset on Sunday as they ended the Buffalo Bills’ playoff bid. A day later, the Broncos were upset on the road by the Cincinnati Bengals in a pivotal AFC showdown.
Can the Raiders carry their momentum for a momentous upset of the AFC West champs? Or will Denver stamp its class in the season finale? Read on as we breakdown this season-ending clash.
Another AFC West showdown is on the cards on Sunday. A playoff spot is on the line for the San Diego Chargers when they head to Kansas City for their season finale. You can read the preview of that game here.
[sc:Football ]Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos Preview
Where: Sports Authorit Field at Mile High, Denver
When: Sunday, December 28, 4:25 PM ET
Line: Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Oakland Raiders
It was win No. 3 for the Oakland Raiders after they ended Buffalo’s playoff bid with a 26-24 win Sunday. Derek Carr went 17-for-34 for 214 yards and two touchdowns against one of the league’s stingiest passing defenses. He was only sacked once in the game.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Carr didn’t have much success against the Broncos in the first matchup in Week 10. He passed for 192 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. However, Carr has played better in the past three weeks throwing for six touchdowns and no picks. If he can sustain his level of play into Week 17, then he may be able to catch a slumping Denver team cold.
The Raiders’ have also experienced an upswing with the emergence of Latavius Murray as a capable No. 1 running back. Murray has 333 rushing yards and two scores on 62 carries in his last four games. The Oakland back may be able to have a big game, especially after the Broncos’ rushing defense looked vulnerable on Monday night. Denver allowed 207 yards rushing against the Bengals.
On the other side of the ball, the Raiders defense may catch a struggling Peyton Manning. The Broncos quarterback has thrown six interceptions and just three touchdowns in his past three games. The Raiders have already proven capable of picking off Manning. Defensive end Justin Tuck and cornerback D.J. Hayden each have an interception in the Week 10 showdown against the Broncos.
The Raiders are 4-1 ATS in their last five games at Denver.
Betting on the Denver Broncos
Manning and the Denver Broncos are stumbling at exactly the wrong time. They missed on their chance for home field advantage in the AFC playoffs after their 37-28 loss to Cincinnati Monday night.
Manning threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati. He also threw a season-high four interceptions, the last of which was a pick-six that essentially iced the game. Despite his struggles, look for a bigger game from Manning in Week 17. The Denver quarterback threw for 340 yards and a season-high five touchdowns in the Week 10 game against the Raiders.
Manning will also be aided by having his favorite targets Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Julius Thomas all healthy for the season finale. Sanders and J. Thomas caught two scoring passes each in Week 10, while D. Thomas finished with a game-high 108 yards receiving.
The Broncos may opt for another run-heavy game this time around to lead pressure away from their quarterback with running back C.J. Anderson leading the charge. He has 561 yards and five scores in the past five weeks. He also had a big game against Oakland in Week 10, rushing for 90 yards on 13 carries.
While Denver’s offense takes care of the scoring, the defense needs to do much more to aid the Broncos. The Broncos’ blitz was almost non-existent in Week 10 as they failed to record a sack against Oakland’s rookie quarterback, Carr. Doing so this time around should help limit the rookie’s production, especially with Carr looking better in the past few weeks.
Linebacker Von Miller and defensive end DeMarcus Ware should lead the Broncos blitz in Week 17. Miller has a team-high 13 sacks, while Ware has 10 sacks to his credit this season.
The Broncos are undefeated at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Broncos take an early lead, but late production has the Raiders covering the spread. Create a betting account now and win big on the final day of the 2014 NFL regular season.
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