Denver’s Defensive Secret Set to Shatter Vegas Betting Predictions—What You Need to Know!

Week 10 of the NFL season has sneaked up on us faster than a corner blitz, and here we are again, scratching our heads over who’s truly legit and who’s just playing dress-up in this unpredictable league. The Raiders and Broncos clash Thursday night, a divisional showdown that’s more about snapping a losing streak or proving a point than about marquee matchups. The Raiders limped into this game with a 2-6 record, showing flashes of grit but mostly struggling on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, the Broncos sit at 7-2, basking in what might be the most borderline “fake” good record we’ve seen in ages—pockets of brilliance shadowed by maddening offensive inconsistency. Can the Raiders’ scrappy spirit survive the altitude and Denver’s stifling defense? Or will the Broncos’ quixotic run continue… until it doesn’t? It’s a game full of questions and maybe just enough entertainment to keep us tuned in. LEARN MORE.

Raiders vs. Broncos, 8:15 ET

We are already entering into Week 10 of the NFL Season which has just flown by. This is a unique season because I feel like we have no real clue about who is actually a good team, and who is a bit fake. Every time I think I have the answer, I find out that I’m wrong and it costs me in the pocketbook. Thursday Night Football brings us a divisional matchup. Although the game doesn’t appear to be between two great teams, we could get some entertainment as the Raiders play the Broncos, but more importantly, a win in the books.

The Raiders come into the game with a 2-6 record, and they will likely be one of the top drafting teams in the offseason. Las Vegas hasn’t had much to be excited about this year on either side of the ball. Their defense is allowing 26.3 points per game, and they are in the bottom third of the league for both passing and rushing yards allowed. On offense, they are averaging just 16.5 points per game, which is the fourth worst in the league. Geno Smith, who did put together a few decent seasons in Seattle, has been awful this year. He has 1,701 passing yards which is decent enough, but he has 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The team has been a bit all over the place over their past five games. They played well against the Bears, but lost by 1. They played poorly against the Colts, and were embarrassed. They beat the Titans 20-10 when they hosted Tennessee. The Raiders have lost their past two games, one of them to the Chiefs where they were shut out. Hosting Jacksonville, they were able to get the game to overtime, but they lost 30-29. I have some respect for them in this loss because they went for the win by going for two. They could’ve taken the tie and moved on. The conversion attempt failed, but at least they took the shot.

The Broncos are having a very nice season this year, and are 7-2. It might be the most fake 7-2 I’ve seen in quite some time, and this team is certainly unpredictable as well. They have won six in a row, and this isn’t a matchup that should end the streak. They started the season with a relatively easy win over the Titans. The next two games were against the Colts and Chargers, both were losses, and both could’ve been wins. They then crushed a Burrow-less Bengals team, went into Philly and won, beat the Jets overseas, and have taken down the Giants, Cowboys, and Texans over the past three weeks. The season sounds good, right? So why am I hating on them? The Eagles held the Broncos to three points through three quarters. They could only muster 13 points against the Jets. The Giants held the Broncos to zero points over three quarters. The Texans held them to 7 points in three quarters. Notice a trend here? I’m not sure that I can give them credit for being good. I think they are just lucky that they’ve been able to score in bunches in multiple fourth quarters. They just as easily could be 4-5, or 5-4, depending on how you view a couple of games.

This is not a game that the Broncos should struggle in, but the inconsistency of the offense is frustrating. One thing that has not been frustrating from Denver is their defense. They have repeatedly been one of the best teams in the league on that side of the ball. They are holding opponents to 18.4 points per game, but they have faced significantly better offenses than some other teams. The Raiders would need to perform above average in this game to go over their team total. I don’t see that happening during a short week where they had to play overtime and now go into altitude. Back the Raiders under 16.5 points. 17.5 is better if you can find a reasonable price.

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