Oddsmakers think Broncos will start the season off with a win
Sep 7, 2023, 1:19 PM
The Denver Broncos open what they hope is a rebound year against their rival Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, and sharps are thinking the home team will get the win.
The Broncos have lost six straight games to the Raiders and finished a lousy 5-12 in a season of tumult in 2022, meanwhile, the Raiders were coming off a crazy 2021 season where they found a way into the playoffs only to have a sub-par 6-11 2022 season. Experts think the Raiders are going backward while the Broncos may be moving forward.
It’s a battle of a new coach—Sean Payton—against a new quarterback—Jimmy Garoppolo—as each join the AFC West.
Denver Broncos odds
Week 1: Denver -4
Super Bowl: +4500
What the Broncos odds mean
Oddsmakers are thinking the Broncos will get past the Raiders in a one-score battle with a final count of 24-20 or so based on the over/under total. Given Las Vegas has owned Denver recently and they had a better preseason, this must be about defending the Mile High City as well as the buzz about each team’s offseason.
The Raiders went 2-1 in the preseason to the Broncos 1-2, each team beat the Los Angeles Rams, but the Raiders beat the 49ers easily, who beat the Broncos in a tight battle.
Still, the Broncos have had a lot of positive talk about them this summer, simply because they’re replacing failed rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett with former Super Bowl winner Sean Payton. It’s Payton who might be able to get Russell Wilson and the rest of the Broncos back on track. Holding the whistle on the other side is former failed Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels, who is now in his second season with the team being worse in year one than before he got there. McDaniels has long made rivals with his players, and it could cost him already this season.
This will be the 128th matchup between these division foes, the most Denver has played any other team. The Broncos are 54-71-2 all-time against the Raiders, including one playoff win. The Broncos have lost six in a row to the Raiders, with the last game coming in November of last season.
The Broncos will host the Commanders in Week 2.
