The Las Vegas Raiders (7-8) have already been eliminated from postseason contention but will look to finish the season on a positive note as they visit the Denver Broncos (5-10) as small road favorites at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. The Raiders have lost three straight games and five of their last six, which is how they closed last season.
- Date/Time: January 3, 4:25 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Empower Field at Mile High
- TV Coverage: CBS
- Sportsbook Odds: Pick’em | O/U 51 (Line History)
- Raiders vs Broncos Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
What a swing this point spread has experienced heading into the season finale between these AFC West rivals. Denver was listed as the favorite on the look-ahead line last week, up to -3 at some books before both teams suffered close losses in Week 16.
Who knows what has made bettors put their money behind Las Vegas to flip the line, though, following the team’s disappointing 26-25 home defeat to the Miami Dolphins last Saturday night. The Raiders are now 2.5-point road favorites in a game they no longer need to win to get into the playoffs, as they have no chance and may already be looking ahead to 2021.
Las Vegas News & Notes
Close but no cigar has been the theme for Las Vegas toward the end of the team’s inaugural campaign in Sin City after blowing leads in overtime and regulation the past two weeks.
The Raiders looked like a potential playoff team after beating the Broncos badly in the first meeting 37-12 back in Week 10, covering the spread easily as 3-point home favorites. But that turned out to be the last game they won at Allegiant Stadium, closing the year at 2-6 there.
The good news is that they have been a much better team on the road, going 5-2 straight up and 4-3 against the spread, according to the Odds Shark NFL Database. Their last win away from home was 31-28 over the suddenly hot New York Jets in Week 13, although they failed to cover the number as 7.5-point road chalk.
Denver News & Notes
Denver has dropped four of its last five games, going 2-3 ATS during that stretch after losing 19-16 to the Los Angeles Chargers as a 2-point home underdog on Sunday. With head coach Vic Fangio reportedly returning next season, the Broncos are hoping to build on something here in the finale and see if quarterback Drew Lock is really their future.
Lock has had too many ups and downs to count, with turnovers dooming the former second-round pick. He has thrown 14 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions while also totaling four fumbles in his 12 games under center. In the first meeting at Las Vegas, Lock threw a career-high four interceptions, and he was sacked twice by the Raiders as well.
Betting Pick: UNDER 51
The weather in Denver should not be a factor, as the temperature is forecast to be in the mid-40s with no precipitation. That said, I would expect a very similar result as last week’s matchup between the Broncos and Chargers.
Neither of these teams has anything to play for, and the trends favor a low-scoring game at Mile High on Sunday.
- The Raiders are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games.
- The Broncos are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 divisional home games.
- The UNDER is 8-0 in the past 8 meetings.
