Denver (6-5) at Las Vegas (2-8)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, CBS.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Broncos by 6.
Against the spread: Broncos 8-3; Raiders 4-6.
Series record: Raiders lead 72-54-2.
Last meeting: Broncos beat Raiders 34-18 in Denver on Oct. 6.
Last week: Broncos beat Falcons 38-6; Raiders lost to Dolphins 34-19.
Broncos offense: overall (23), rush (20), pass (25), scoring (20)
Broncos defense: overall (3), rush (6), pass (7), scoring (3)
Raiders offense: overall (30), rush (32), pass (17), scoring (25)
Raiders defense: overall (15), rush (15), pass (11), scoring (29)
Turnover differential: Broncos: even; Raiders minus-15.
Broncos player to watch
QB Bo Nix is piling up the accolades. First, he won the NFL's Rookie of the Month award in October. In November, he won the NFL's Rookie of the Week honor after outplaying Patrick Mahomes on the road and he won both the AFC Player of the Week and another league Rookie of the Week honor after a brilliant performance last Sunday in which he threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns on 28-of-33 passing in a rout of the Atlanta Falcons.
Raiders player to watch
TE Brock Bowers is the main constant for an otherwise struggling offense, putting together one of the finest rookie seasons at his position. He caught 13 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins, giving him 70 receptions for 706 yards and three TDs for the season. The Raiders line Bowers up all over the field, making it more difficult for opposing defenses to match up with him.
Key matchup
Broncos RT Mike McGlinchey vs. Raiders DE Maxx Crosby. Crosby is on a little bit of a sack drought, having gone the past three games without one. But he still leads the Raiders with 35 quarterback pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He often likely will be lined up against McGlinchey, who allows just 7% of pressures.
Key injuries
Broncos: G Ben Powers (shoulder) got hurt last week and S Brandon Jones (abdomen) missed the game last week. Other than that, the Broncos are healthy heading into the stretch run.
Raiders: There are major concerns at running back and cornerback. RBs Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quadriceps) might not be able to play, and there are similar concerns for CB Nate Hobbs (ankle), Jack Jones (back) and Jakorian Bennett (shoulder).
Series notes
Denver ended an eight-game losing streak to the Raiders with its victory in October. ... The Broncos have never won in Las Vegas, going 0-4 at Allegiant Stadium. Their most recent road victory against the Raiders was Oct. 11, 2015, in Oakland, California. ... The Raiders are 39-25 at home against the Broncos. ... WR Marvin Mims last week had two catches for 49 yards and his first TD of the season.
Stats and stuff
The Broncos are 6-5 for the second consecutive season. Last year, they hit a 1-3 road bump that ruined their chances of ending their long playoff drought. ... QB Bo Nix's six wins are the most in Broncos history for a rookie. ... Nix has 14 touchdown passes this season, tying the late Marlin Briscoe (1968) for most TD throws by a rookie in franchise history. ... WR Courtland Sutton has four consecutive games with at least 70 receiving yards, a first for a Broncos receiver since 2019. ... Denver's 39 sacks are its most through 11 games since 1986 when the Broncos had 44 sacks. ... OLB Nik Bonitto is coming off a two-sack performance against Atlanta. His nine sacks are a career best and rank second in the NFL behind Cincinnati pass rusher Trey Hendrickson (11 1/2). ... With a victory Sunday, the Broncos would be two games above .500 for the first time since Sept. 26, 2021, when they started out 3-0. ... The Raiders' six-game skid is their longest since losing seven in a row at the end of the 2017 season and into 2018. It's their longest single-season losing streak opening 2014 by going 0-10. ... LT Kolton Miller had the most snaps (48) in the NFL without allowing a quarterback pressure this past week, according to Pro Football Focus. ... The Raiders have given up just 11 completions of at least 25 yards, tied for the second fewest in the league. ... LB Robert Spillane has double-digit tackles in a league-high seven games. ... TE Brock Bowers is four receptions from pass Jerry Rice's 73 catches for most by a Raiders play through 11 games. ... DE Maxx Crosby has 99 tackles for loss. He is on the verge of joining J.J. Watt (133), Aaron Donald (117) and DeMarcus Ware (101) for reaching 100 since at least 1999 in their first six seasons. ... Las Vegas has sacks in 28 consecutive games, tied for the third-longest active streak. It's also tied for the fifth longest in franchise history.
Fantasy tip
Broncos defense. Denver is ranked in the top seven in four major defensive categories, and the Broncos have allowed fewer than 20 points seven times this season. The Raiders have been held to 20 points or fewer seven times.
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