Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders Pick

The Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos will square off for Monday Night Football when the two clubs round off a doubleheader of primetime action on Monday, September 9th, 2019 with a kick-off time of 10:20 PM ET. These two fierce AFC West rivals last met on Christmas Eve in 2018 where the Raiders defeated the Broncos 24-17 in Oakland as a 2.5-point underdog. As a whole, Oakland has covered in the last three meetings between these two sides.

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders Key Injury Concerns

Both teams head into this contest with no significant injury concerns to key starters or personnel. However, there is breaking news that Wide Receiver Antonio Brown will be suspended for the opening game after a litany of off-the-field incidents culminated in a blow out with the Raiders front office.

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders Overview

Denver Broncos

The Broncos wrapped up their 2018 campaign on a dismal note, losing four consecutive games to fall to 6-10. However, Denver had some key injuries that hurt their late-season prospects when they lost both Wide Receiver Emmanuel Sanders and shut-down Cornerback Chris Harris. Both Harris and Sanders will be back in the fold for the Orange Crush in their season opener.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders finished the 2018-19 season at a meager 4-12 mark after Coach John Gruden made his return to the gridiron as skipper of the squad. In the off-season, Oakland made some moves with hopes of raising their 2019 expectations. Most notably, Oakland acquired one of the best receivers in the game, former Pittsburgh Steeler Wide Receiver Antonio Brown. Whether or not the trade will beat fruit for the Silver and Black is to be determined. At the present moment, it seems that Brown may become more of a liability than an asset. Outside of the Antonio Brown acquisition, the Black Hole welcomed Linebacker Vontae Burfict and Safety LaMarcus Joyner to bolster their defense.

Reasons to Back Denver

The 6-10 mark next to Denver’s name is quite misleading. After all, the Broncos lost six of their defeats by a touchdown or less. When you subtract off the late-season scourge of injuries, this team was actually on a roll and had won three in a row. With a healthy ensemble and a refreshed outlook that comes with a new season, I expect Denver to treat this game as an opportunity to get their season off on the right foot and they will throw their hat into the ring for the post-season race. However, right now, Denver is far enough off the radar to be able to snag them a value price.

Reasons to Avoid Oakland

There is little doubt here that the Raiders’ ability to win and produce profits as of late was influencing the opening line. However, Denver will be fielding a far better team than Oakland encountered on that fateful day in December last year. Moreover and most important of all, Antonio Brown will not be playing in this game after being summarily suspended due to a heated argument with Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock.