Raiders vs Broncos: Preview, score prediction for Week 4

Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos

Week 4 of the NFL season will feature an AFC West divisional rivalry between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos. Both the Raiders and Broncos are coming off of their first losses of the season to enter this game 2-1.

Denver dropped their first road game of the season in Week 3, a 26-16 game against the Buffalo Bills. The Raiders’ Week 3 performance was not as competitive. Oakland was outgained 472-128 on offense in a 27-10 rout at the hands of the Washington Redskins.

In a division in which the Kansas City Chiefs remain undefeated, this game could have a serious impact on the AFC playoff picture by the end of the season.

Keys to Victory

If the Raiders are able to establish an effective run game, that could be all it takes to win. However, that will be easier said than done as Denver’s top-ranked run defense has held Ezekiel Elliott and LeSean McCoy to under 25 yards in back-to-back weeks.

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Oakland enters this game with the 15th ranked rushing attack, averaging 107 rushing yards per game. If Oakland finds a way to run the ball in this game, they can not only tire Denver’s defense as the game progresses but also take the crowd out of it. This effectively neutralizes Denver’s two largest strengths entering this matchup.

Denver’s best key to victory is to take out wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree from Oakland’s gameplan. While Cooper and Crabtree might be the league’s best wide receiver duo, Denver’s Aqib Talib and Chris Harris junior are the league’s top cornerbacks. If Cooper and Crabtree are taken out of the equation, we do not have to speculate the damage that would do the Oakland’s offense because it happened last Sunday.

In Week 3, Cooper and Crabtree combined for two receptions for thirteen yards. Unsurprisingly, quarterback Derek Carr struggled without his best offensive weapons open. Carr went 19-of-31 for 118 yards and two interceptions. If Denver’s cornerbacks can cover Crabtree and Cooper, Carr and the rest of the offense will struggle to find any sort of success during this game.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Denver -3
Moneyline: Denver -150, Oakland +130
Over/Under: 46

All odds provided by BookMaker via Sportsbook Review

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Prediction

Both of these teams are talented and capable of making deep playoff runs. Oakland has a powerful offense full of versatile weapons and led by one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. Denver has perhaps the best defense in football, with cornerbacks, linebackers, and defensive linemen that all rank at the top of their positions. Overall, this game will be close but Denver’s great home-field advantage will be too much for Oakland to overcome.

Final Score: Denver Broncos: 28, Oakland Raiders: 21