The Raiders visit their AFC West rivals Thursday night, the first-place Denver Broncos, who are 7-2 after winning their last five games.
Coming off the trade deadline, which saw Las Vegas unload Jakobi Meyers by shipping him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a couple of 2026 draft picks, the Raiders have seemingly waved the white flag on this season.
The Raiders are 2-6 with nine games remaining, and don't appear to be in a position to make a run at the postseason with one of the most inept offenses in the league.
Here's a quick glance at Thursday's game:
TV: Prime Video
LAST TIME OUT: Las Vegas 30-29 OT loss to Jacksonville; Broncos 18-15 win at Houston
LAST MEETING: Nov. 24, 2024 - Broncos 29-19 at Las Vegas
VEGAS LINE (courtesy Westgate): Broncos -9 (-105), O/U 43
BETTING TRENDS: Broncos have won and covered the last two meetings, while the last three meetings have gone over the posted total. ... Raiders are mired in a 1-6 slide both SU and ATS, and have stayed under in three of their last four. ... Denver has won six straight, and is on a 4-2 ATS roll, while it's stayed under in five of its last seven.
RAIDERS KEY PLAYERS: Quarterback Geno Smith threw for 284 yards and a season-high four touchdowns versus one interception for a 117.9 rating last week against Jacksonville. Smith has a 90-plus rating in two of his past three Thursday starts. He had two TDs (1 passing, 1 rushing) in his last start versus Denver (9/8/24). ... Running back Ashton Jeanty hauled in five passes and had 89 scrimmage yards and a receiving touchdown last week to become the first rookie since 1982 with three or more rushing TDs and three or more receiving TDs in his first eight career games. Jeanty leads rookies in scrimmage yards (620) and rushing yards (487) and ranks tied for second in scrimmage touchdowns this season. ... Tight end Brock Bowers registered 12 catches for 127 yards and a career-high three receiving touchdowns in the loss to Jacksonville. Bowers had eight catches for 97 yards and a receiving TD in the last road meeting (10/6/24). He has 143 catches in 22 games and can become the second-fastest player ever to 150 career receptions. ... Defensive end Maxx Crosby turned in three tackles for loss and his fifth sack of the season against the Jaguars. Crosby leads the NFL with 118 TFL since 2019. He has 15.5 sacks and 22 TFL in 12 career games against Denver, including two or more TFL in six of his past seven versus Denver, while he aims for his seventh straight with a sack in Denver.
PROP TO WATCH: Ashton Jeanty Anytime TD (+125)
If the Raiders get inside the end zone tonight, it'll be because of their talented rookie. When first looking at this prop, a glance at tight end Brock Bowers looked intriguing because he is catching a bigger price. Then seeing how the Broncos clamp down on tight ends, it made more sense why Jeanty is catching shorter odds.
As good as the Broncos have been on defense, they're average, at best, against running backs, allowing 996 scrimmage yards. They've allowed a total of seven TDs to running backs this season (4 rushing, 3 receiving).
If the Raiders find themselves in the red zone, dink and dunks to Bowers will get them close to the goal line, but it'll be Jeanty who powers in for the score.
BRONCOS KEY PLAYERS: Quarterback Bo Nix threw two touchdown passes last week in Houston, his 15th-career game with two or more TD passes. Nix has two or more TD passes in five of his past six at home and can become the fourth player ever with two or more TD passes in 10 home games within his first 2 seasons. Nix is looking for his third straight against the Raiders with two or more TD passes and 0 interceptions. ... Running back J.K. Dobbins rushed for 61 yards last week and is one of two players with 60 or more yards rushing in eight games in 2025. Dobbins has 100 or more yards rushing in two of his past three at home. He had 198 yards rushing and a rushing TD in two games against the Raiders last season. ... Wide receiver Courtland Sutton has 60 or more receiving yards in eight of his past nine at home. Sutton had eight catches for 97 yards and two receiving scores in the last meeting with Las Vegas. He now aims for his fourth straight in primetime with five or more catches and 50 or more yards receiving. ... Linebacker Nick Bonitto ranks fourth in the NFL with eight sacks this season. Bonitto has a sack in three of his past four in primetime and now aims for his fourth straight versus Las Vegas with a sack.
PROP TO WATCH: Sutton Over 53.5 Receiving Yards
The Raiders' secondary continues to be a problem, as they're allowing 6.3 net yards per pass attempt. They don't bring many blitzing schemes, as they blitz just 20.9% per dropback. Even with a menace like Crosby, the Raiders have just 16 sacks, tied for the seventh fewest. The Broncos haven't been involved in many high-scoring games, but their offense has flourished at home.
With plenty of time, Nix will be able to pick Las Vegas' secondary apart, and Sutton has been reliable this season with more than 53.5 receiving yards in six of nine games - including all four Denver Broncos home games. Sutton is averaging 74 yards receiving at home.
Sutton turned in one of his best games last season when he hauled in eight passes for 97 yards against the Raiders.