NFL Thursday Night Football preview: Broncos off to a great start but can't overlook Raiders
At the halfway point of the NFL season, the Denver Broncos are in a great spot.
The Kansas City Chiefs have lost four one-score games, and that has allowed the 7-2 Broncos to take a two-game lead over the Chiefs in the AFC West. The 6-3 Chargers are in second place, but they're not the dynasty in the division that has won nine straight AFC West titles. The Chiefs are always looming in that division.
The Broncos still have two meetings left with the Chiefs, but they can't be caught looking ahead in the schedule. They don't want to let the Chiefs gain ground by losing games like Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders are 2-6. They inexplicably beat the New England Patriots in the opener and since then they've lost six of seven with the only win coming against the helpless Tennessee Titans. Pete Carroll hasn't instilled a more competitive culture and new quarterback Geno Smith has thrown too many interceptions (a league leading 11) to give Raiders fans any hope that he will lead them into a new and more prosperous era. The Raiders were hoping for the dawn of a new age, but it has been more of the same.
The Broncos haven't been perfect, despite a good record to this point. The offense has been very inconsistent and has had to pull out multiple games in the fourth quarter. Bo Nix's second-year leap hasn't happened yet, though there have been some flashes in the fourth quarters of those comebacks. The defense is good but won't be full strength while cornerback and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II is on injured reserve.
Still, nobody in Denver is complaining about the 7-2 start. They're in good position to end the Chiefs' string of division titles. They just can't overlook the Raiders on the way to that goal.
If the Broncos want to stop the Chiefs' streak of AFC West championships, they can't lose home games against teams like the Raiders. The Raiders are 2-6 and while wins would help make sense of the Pete Carroll/Geno Smith experiment, the difference between winning four and five games this season is mostly affecting draft positioning. NFL teams always want to win - tanking doesn't really happen on a player or coach level - but the Raiders are not going anywhere this season. The Broncos don't want to slip up here.
Key player: Raiders TE Brock BowersIt was great to see Bowers back last week, looking like he did as a rookie. Sunday might have been the first time Bowers was really healthy since Week 1, and he erupted for 127 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos have been pretty good against tight ends this season, though Giants tight ends Daniel Bellinger and Theo Johnson combined for 154 yards and two touchdowns against them in Week 7. Denver's defense is fantastic and the Raiders will be challenged to move the ball against it. But Bowers is such a transcendent talent at tight end, he's the best chance the Raiders have at pulling off an upset.
Betting market watch, by Ben FawkesIt's not the most exciting Thursday Night Football game of all time, but there are playoff implications when the Raiders travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. Denver opened as a 9.5-point favorite and has been bet down to -9 at some books, with a total of 42.5. Vegas (3-5 ATS) looked better last week with star TE Brock Bowers back, but still fell short in a 30-29 OT home loss to Jacksonville. The Broncos eked another win (18-15) over the Texans as a short underdog in Week 9, but will still be without stud CB Patrick Surtain in this one.
Check out more of Ben's work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub.
Fantasy football storylines, by Scott PianowskiDenver is a big favorite at home on Thursday, but you can never take anything for granted in a divisional game. Here are three fantasy angles to watch for.
Can RJ Harvey continue his touchdown magic? While Harvey remains the clear backup to J.K. Dobbins, he's run pure with touchdowns, scoring on five of his last 20 touches. Sean Payton loves scheming up scoring plays for the rookie back.
Does Brock Bowers single-handedly elevate the Las Vegas offense? Remember the Raiders had just three first downs in their last game without Bowers. With the dynamic tight end back last week (12-127-3), the offense moved easily against Jacksonville. Good news for Ashton Jeanty managers.
Is Courtland Sutton in the Circle of Trust? Shutdown corners like Derek Stingley and Sauce Gardner were able to limit Sutton to one catch. The Raiders don't have that type of personnel, which means Sutton is probably an auto-start here.
Check out more of Scott's work at the Yahoo Sports fantasy hub.