One of the greatest rivalries in the NFL starts anew in Denver on Sunday. For the 128th meeting of the Broncos and Raiders, both squads are hoping for a change in fortune.
The Raiders have dominated the series historically, but especially in the last few years. Las Vegas/Oakland has won 10 of the last 14 meetings, including the last six. If they’re going to keep the streak up, they’ll need a solid performance from a new face at quarterback.
Jimmy Garoppolo replaces the now-Saint Derek Carr, joining an offense with bonafide stars. Josh Jacobs led the league in rushing last season while receiver Davante Adams caught more touchdowns than any other player. Raider veteran Hunter Renfrow will look to rebound from an injury-shortened 2022 campaign and complement former Patriot Jakobi Meyers.
Although Garoppolo’s 2022 campaign wasn’t ideal, he excelled at taking care of the football. Jimmy G was second in the league last year in touchdown-to-interception ratio, notching four scores for every pick. If he can stay on the field, it could be a good year for the Raiders.
Denver is coming off of a particularly rough 2022 season. After an offseason in which they acquired a new head coach and a Super Bowl champion quarterback, the team won just five games and finished last in the AFC West. In the team’s prior 50 seasons, they hadn’t posted back-to-back losing seasons even once prior to the 2017 season.
Sean Payton has been vocal about his belief that this team is a legitimate playoff contender. He’s trash-talked the previous coach, had tough talk about his starting quarterback, but also firmly stated that Russell Wilson has more left in the tank.
The first test of his belief comes on Sunday.
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How to Watch Raiders vs. Broncos
The Raiders and Broncos will kick off in Denver at 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday. The game will air on CBS affiliates throughout most of the western U.S. with Tom McCarthy, James Lofton and Jay Feely on the call.
Fans in Denver can tune into 850 KOA to hear Dave Logan, Rick Lewis and Susie Wargin bring the action. Vegas fans can listen to Jason Horowitz and Lincoln Kennedy on Raider Nation Radio 920 AM.
Betting odds for Raiders at Broncos
The Broncos head into Sunday’s contest as 3.5 point favorites, according to BetMGM on Thursday afternoon. The over/under is set at 44 points with the Raiders odds of an upset at +155.
As of Thursday, FanDuel’s futures odds aren’t promising for either squad. The Broncos are listed as +4500 for winning the Super Bowl. Las Vegas fares even worse, coming in at +7500 to win it at all.