Pro sports bettors on same side in Raiders-Broncos game
The Raiders have owned the Broncos in recent years, winning all eight meetings since moving from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020.
But professional sports bettors Jeff Whitelaw and Cris Zeniuk expect the Raiders’ dominance of Denver to end Sunday.
The Broncos are consensus 3-point favorites (even) over the Raiders after the line opened at 1½. The line move is largely due to Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams wanting to be traded and star defensive end Maxx Crosby being listed as questionable to miss his second straight game with a high ankle sprain.
Whitelaw bet Denver -2 and recommends a play on the Broncos at anything less than -3. Denver, returning home after winning back-to-back games at Tampa Bay (26-7) and the New York Jets (10-9), is -2½ (-120) at Boyd Gaming.
“The Raiders have a lot of injuries, a little bit of dissension with Adams, and they’re going on the road,” Whitelaw said. “Denver just seems like they’re getting things in order. They won their last two games, their defense is playing a lot better, and their offense is starting to come into being.”
Zeniuk, who has won his past three best bets in the Review-Journal, including the Broncos over the Jets last week, recommends a play on Denver on the money line (-150).
“Denver has been good for us,” said Zeniuk (@lasvegascris). “The model liked Denver to beat the Jets outright, and it didn’t disappoint. This week the model has the Broncos as a solid pick. I’m inclined to play money line when it’s -150 or lower, but -3 would be justified. The Raiders talking about offering Adams up for trade bait is not a great sign for team unity. The coaching is questionable, and the week-to-week effort is unpredictable. There is no question about effort when it comes to Denver and (coach) Sean Payton, and the Raiders will be playing at elevation.
“These games are usually tight — this is another reason for the money-line lean. The Broncos defense rates No. 2 in the model, and the Raiders have issues with injuries to Crosby and others.”
The consensus total is the lowest on the board at 36 and as low as 35½ at Boyd. Denver (2-2, 3-1 ATS), which ranks third in the NFL in scoring defense (13.8 points per game allowed), is 3-1 to the under. The Raiders (2-2, 2-2 ATS) have a 2-2 over-under mark.
Book report
The Raiders beat the Browns 20-16 last week without Adams and Crosby, and SuperBook veteran oddsmaker Ed Salmons thinks the line has been overadjusted.
“I don’t understand these adjustments,” Salmons said. “They’re acting like the Raiders are helpless without Adams. I just don’t think it’s that big of a deal. Without Crosby, their defense looked fine in that game (against Cleveland). I would say if Adams was healthy and Crosby was healthy, it would probably be Denver -1, so it’s probably another point and a half or two points for those guys.”
That said, Salmons has been impressed with the Broncos the past two weeks.
“It’s impressive for a team like that, with a rookie quarterback, to go on the road and essentially beat two teams that will have a chance to make the playoffs,” he said. “Their defense played really well last week against the Jets. Denver looks to be an improved team.
“Denver’s never beaten the Las Vegas Raiders, so they do have something to prove.”
Las Vegas sportsbooks have won on all four Raiders games this season. The action was balanced Friday at Station Sports.
“The ticket counts and money are fairly two-way on the game,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “My guess is we’ll still probably need the Broncos, and we’ll see some local Raiders money show. But it’s hard to say which way we’re going to be pushed.”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.