Raiders vs. Broncos 2013 game preview: Denver heavily favored in the spotlight

If Oakland has one thing going for them at this point, it’s the fact that this is an AFC West rivalry matchup and they know the Broncos well. Last season Oakland lost both games, but they weren’t totally dominated. They weren’t particularly close games, but it was always clear they were playing them harder. If Oakland hopes to win this one though, they’ll need to be even better.

Let’s take a look at both teams below.

It’s unlikely the Raiders will find that success in the run game against Denver. Instead, Pryor will probably need to throw the ball. Denver has a poor passing defense, as they’ve allowed 344.0 passing yards over the first two games. However, Pryor has only thrown for 343 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions over his first two games. Needless to say, he’ll have to do better than that to win on Monday.

Scotty Payne of Mile High Report thinks that the Broncos will win if they force Pyror to throw the football:

For some reason the Broncos under Peyton Manning never start off fast. This was the case as well last season as well. Through the first two games the Broncos have scored 24 first half points. That averages out to be 12 points at halftime. The Broncos have scored 66 second half points through two games. That averages out to be 33 second half points a game. Imagine if they played a complete 60 minute game.

The Oakland Raiders are second In the NFL in rushing, and 29th in passing. If the Broncos can go up early, and force the Raiders to abandon their run game, and force Pryor to throw the ball, I like the Broncos chances.

RDreamer from Silver and Black Pride thinks that the Raiders will be impressive ... and still lose by a wide margin:

The Raiders will fall behind early and they do not have a prolific passing attack that would help them catch up, nor do they have a defense dominant enough to keep the game from getting completely out of hand. We know the Raiders are an improved team, but this isn’t the week they will get to show how good they actually are.

It’s only a flesh wound.

Be sure to check out SB Nation’s team blogs, Mile High Report and Silver and Black Pride, for more analysis and highlights from the game.

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From the Week 3 picks:

The only question I have here is whether or not Peyton Manning can throw another seven touchdowns. I’d say John Fox should sit him in the second half, but there’s not much risk of injury against the Raiders defense. But at least we’ll get to hear Jon Gruden talk about Terrelle Pryor.

The pick: Denver

Denver is significantly favored over the Raiders. They opened favored by 15.5 points, but could be had for as high as 16 points, according to OddsShark.

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