The Raiders have beaten the Broncos 5 straight times and it would be nice to end that streak amid a disappointing season. It would be much sweeter to witness it in person as I am going to the game. The Raiders are coming off a week where they just lost to first-time NFL Head Coach Jeff Saturday. As disappointing a season as it has been for Denver, Raiders fans also have to be sick to their stomach as this team had pretty high expectations coming into the 2022 season after being a playoff team last season.
The Broncos and Raiders have been the victim of losing close games. The Raiders are 0-6 in one-score games. The Broncos are 3-5 in one-score games. Both teams have also been criticized for being coached poorly and for good reason. The Broncos lead the league in penalty yardage. Most of the penalties have been either pre-snap such as false start and delay of game or unnecessary roughness penalties. Those display a lack of discipline which is a result of poor coaching. The Raiders don't have a certain category that they are horrible at but the fact that they have as many losses(7) as they did last year with an interim special teams coordinator. The Raiders losing to a struggling Colts team with a guy that has never coached at the college or professional level before Sunday displays Josh Mcdaniel's incompetence.
Both teams have also fell victim to injury. This game will be played without Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow, KJ Hamler, and Courtland Sutton. The number 2 and 3 receiving options for Denver will be out and the number 2 and 3 options for Vegas will be out. The Broncos and Raiders have had a very similar season. 2 teams with high expectations that have failed to close games due to inept coaching and injuries seem like the perfect description for both these teams. Hopefully, the game on Sunday will be a fun one to watch and divisional games are always are so I will keep my hopes up.
Prediction:
Broncos 23-20
Russ: 2 TD 250+ yards
Running Backs: 80+ yards
Defense: 3 Sacks and 1 Turnover
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