A battle for first place in the AFC West gets the prime time spotlight on Sunday night on NBC as the Denver Broncos visit the Oakland Raiders. This is an intriguing Week 9 matchup between the great defense of the Broncos that is first in the NFL against the pass vs. the Oakland passing attack that is ranked 4th in the league. The Broncos have dominated this series on the road in Oakland of late, winning and covering the last five meetings.
This matchup in Week 9 of the regular season will take place on Sunday, November 6, 2016, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Oakland Coliseum.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Denver Broncos pick
Oakland Raiders pick
Over/Under 44
Odds Analysis
Everyone seems to have a position on this game and so far none of the positions are the same. The Broncos opened up as a one-point favorite in this game but that number didn’t last long as the wiseguys took the Raiders and the line went to a pick. The line moved again on Monday morning toward the Raiders as Oakland became a one-point favorite but that number didn’t last long as the game went back to a pick.
The total opened at 44.5 on this contest and saw little early movement until Monday when the wiseguys took the number down to 43.5 before it came back to 44. It was surprising to see the number on this game drop as the Raiders simply can’t stop anyone but they have a high-powered offense. This is a Sunday night game and unless the wiseguys simply pound this number then the total is going back up because the only way the public is going to bet this game is over the total.
Injury Report
Brandon Marshall – He missed the last game and is it unclear whether or not he will return for this Sunday night contest. Denver’s defense is simply not the same without Marshall in the lineup as he is a key cog in the middle.
Aqib Talib – He sat out the game against the Chargers with a back injury and his status is up in the air for this contest. If he misses this game it would be a huge loss for Denver going against the great passing attack of the Raiders.
Sean Smith – The Raiders probably won’t have Smith for this game as he is listed as doubtful. His absence is a key one as the Raiders don’t have anyone to cover Thomas or Sanders.
Michael Crabtree – The Raiders might be missing one of their top receivers as Crabtree is listed as questionable for this contest.
Matchup to Watch
There is no question that the matchup to watch in this one is the Oakland passing attack going against the Denver secondary. The injury to Talib is definitely worth watching as Denver’s secondary is simply not the same if Talib is not out there.
Oakland’s Derek Carr has thrown for 2,321 yards this season. Wide receivers Amari Cooper (52 receptions for 787 yards) and Michael Crabtree (47 for 569) have more receiving yards this season than the Denver pair of Thomas and Sanders. Both Oakland receivers rank in the top five in the league in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and yards after contact.
The Raiders passing attack will get a good test on Sunday from a Denver defense that is allowing just 183.9 yards through the air, the best mark in the NFL.
Free ATS Pick
The Broncos are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games and they have been good lately against teams in the division going 9-4 ATS in their last 13 vs. the AFC West. Oakland has not been good in the division going just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 vs. the AFC West. And the Raiders are simply awful at home going 0-7 ATS in their last 7 home games.
I am not sure that I trust the Broncos on the road so I will instead look at the total. 8 of the last 11 Oakland home games have gone over the total and the Denver defense is banged up. I don’t see either offense getting stopped that often so I will go over the total in this contest.
NFL Odds: Raiders 31, Broncos 30
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