An AFC West battle is on tap on Sunday as the Denver Broncos will host the Las Vegas Raiders to start their respective 2023-2024 campaigns. Kickoff is scheduled at 4:25 p.m. ET on September 10th at Empower Field at Mile High.
This game could come down to penalties, as neither team did well in that area last year. The Raiders were ranked 30th overall in penalties last year, finishing the 2022-2023 season with 6.6 per game. The Broncos tied their effort: they also finished with 6.6 per game.
Looking back to last season, Las Vegas finished on the wrong side of .500 (6-11), but they'll be hoping to turn things around this year. Similarly, the Broncos finished with a dismal 5-12 record.
The Raiders will need to dig deep on Sunday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. They finished last season with an 8-9 record against the spread.
That disadvantage in the odds might be especially worrying for Las Vegas considering the team was a sub-par 2-5 as the underdog last season. While their fans probably aren't happy about it, betting on the team to lose was the smart play last year, and bettors who put $100 on that outcome every game finished the season up $1,622.99. The Broncos will open their season as the favorite, and the team was 3-5 as such last season.