NFL Week 17 Raiders at Broncos Pick and Betting Preview
Good Wagering Options in a Game That Means Nothing?
There’s plenty of games with playoff implications happening in the final slate of the NFL’s regular season – but the week 17 Raiders at Broncos pick is not one of them. Both teams have been eliminated from the postseason discussion for a couple weeks, but this is still a division rivalry game with a point spread of less than a field goal. Perfect for action.
The Broncos opened as -2 favorites, but 59% of the betting public being on the Raiders has pushed the line to LV -2.5. These teams have split the series since 2017, and Las Vegas already has a 37-17 win earlier in the season as -3.5 home favorites. Take the points and hope for another series split?
Las Vegas With Plenty to Play For
The Raiders can get to 8-8 with a win, but they’re a much better team than even that record would show. Las Vegas handed Kansas City their only loss of the year, and almost did it twice after a 35-31 defeat in week 11. In the last month the Raiders have also lost in OT to the Chargers and dropped a game by a point to Miami in two defeats that changed the course of their inaugural season in Sin City.
Las Vegas still have some goals to accomplish stats wise in the week 17 Raiders at Broncos pick. Darren Waller is just 2 catches away from 100, and 6 receptions away from breaking Tim Brown’s franchise record. Josh Jacobs is also 24 yards away from going for 1,000 on the ground so expect the Raiders to open up the offensive playbook on Sunday.
The Raiders offense looked really good in their 37-12 win over Denver back on November 15th in Las Vegas. Jacobs had 112 yards and 2 scores on the ground, while Devontae Booker added another 2 rushing TDs. The Broncos offense and defense was overmatched that game, will things change back in Colorado?
What Does Denver Show in the Finale?
One thing going for Denver is that the Raiders defense hasn’t looked great lately. The Raiders have allowed 30+ points in 4 of 6 games since the teams met up week 10, and nearly lost to the Jets if not for a late TD in week 13. The Raiders will also be playing on the road for the first time since week 13, after playing the last three at home.
The only problem with the Raiders defense being bad is that so is the Broncos offense. Drew Lock threw 4 INT in the first game against Las Vegas, and has some sort of turnover in 11 straight games. Denver has been held to under 20 points in each of the last two games.
The Broncos defense has also struggled at times lately. Denver ranks 26th vs. the run, which isn’t great ahead of a matchup with Jacobs. In their last home game Vic Fangio’s team allowed 352 yards through the air and 182 on the ground in their last home game, a 48-19 loss to the Bills as +6 underdogs.
Free Week 17 Raiders at Broncos Pick
This week 17 game could go either way, as the Raiders are the more talented team but also traveling for the first time in three games and to Denver’s altitude. The Broncos will be without Bradley Chubb, and the Las Vegas offense is just the more consistent of the two.
Raiders 34 – Broncos 28
Free Pick: Raiders -2.5
