The Denver Broncos didn’t open the season as the online NFL betting favorite to win this year’s Super Bowl, despite being the reigning champions. That title belonged to the New England Patriots. Even though Denver wasn’t pegged as the favorites, the Broncos still started the season with pretty favorable odds. Have the Broncos lived up to their preseason expectations?
From what we’ve seen through 8 games, the Broncos have more than exceeded their expectations. Even though they were coming off a Super Bowl win, the Broncos still had to contend with the loss of one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, Peyton Manning. Manning holds more NFL records than one would care to count, and fans were worried about how Denver would be able to replace such a legendary quarterback. But behind Denver’s frightening defense, Trevor Siemian has proven more than capable of leading this team to the postseason. With Siemian under center, what kind of odds are the best football betting sites giving the Broncos in their next contest?
NFL Odds – Week 9 – Sunday, November 6th
Denver Broncos PK (-105) 44 (-110)
Oakland Raiders PK (-115) 44 (-110)
Interestingly enough, the online NFL betting odds are hesitant in picking the Broncos over the Raiders. Both teams will be coming into this game at 6-2, but of the two, the Raiders success has been much more unprecedented. Coming into the season, Oakland had the absolute worst odds for the AFC West futures lines. Now that we’ve seen how things have turned out, it’s clear those lines couldn’t be further from the truth. Currently the Raiders lead the AFC West, but the only way to maintain their dominance in the division is by ensuring that they win this upcoming Sunday. The Raiders offense is the strength of this team, but the same can be said about the Broncos’ defense.
The Broncos have the reigning Super Bowl defense, and their secondary has been doing everything possible to make sure that Denver has a legitimate chance of winning the title once more. As of Week 8, the Broncos have the 3rd best total defense in the NFL. The Broncos also have the best defense against the pass, but they do have the 24th worst rushing offense in the league. Luckily for the Broncos, the Raiders aren’t known for running the ball.
Even though they don’t have a reputation as a run-first football team, Oakland hasn’t struggled running the football. Heading into Week 9, the Raiders have the 8th best rushing offense in the league. Oakland also has the 4th best passing offense in the league, as well as the 5th best total offense in the NFL. If the Raiders can establish the run early and get Denver’s defense to bite on the play action, Oakland should be able to beat the Broncos. If the Raiders can beat the reigning Super Bowl champions, then they’ll certainly become online NFL betting favorites for the rest of 2016.
