Broncos are 2.5-point home underdogs to the Raiders in Week 17

Despite losing their last three and five of their last six, the Las Vegas Raiders will enter Week 17 as slight favorites on the road over the Denver Broncos. It wasn’t that long ago that the Raiders were 6-3 coming off a blowout win over the Broncos looking like a playoff contender. They are now 7-8 and hoping for a .500 finish. Denver hasn’t been much better having lost four of their last five themselves.

According to SportsBetting.com, the Broncos will be 2.5-point home underdogs to the Raiders. Denver has been an underdog in every single game this season - even to the 2-13 New York Jets. Oddmakers (and bettors) simply just don’t like the 2020 Denver Broncos

Raiders at Broncos betting odds

Las Vegas Raiders (7-8) at Denver Broncos (5-10)
Sunday, January 3, 2021 at 2:25 p.m. Mile High time
Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado
ATS Betting Lines: Raiders by 2.5
Over/Under: 50.5
Moneyline: LV (-133) | DEN (+117)

To win this game the Broncos will need to execute winning plays. That was a phrase Head Coach Vic Fangio used earlier this week and when asked to explain what that meant he had a laundry list of items.

“We have to be able to not give up the kickoff return to start the game, deep into our own end,” Fangio said. “We have to make our kicks, we have to catch the ball consistently, we have to throw it accurately and consistently, we have to tackle when our tackles are called upon. We really didn’t have a bad day of tackling yesterday on defense, except in one instance there where it was repetitive. When the ball is on the ground, defensively, we have to find a way to come up with it. We have to get the ball out more defensively and create more takeaways—that’s been a big problem for us, and we have to do a good job of taking better care of the ball offensively and consistently in all parts of the field.”

These are all the things that ultimately lost the Broncos the game last week against the Los Angeles Chargers. If they are to close out the season with a positive note, then they’ll need to stop beating themselves along the way like they have done all year long.