Las Vegas Raiders vs Denver Broncos: Game preview and prediction in Week 16

The Las Vegas Raiders welcome the Denver Broncos to Allegiant Stadium in Week 16, and here is our game preview and prediction.

On Monday night, the Las Vegas Raiders kept their fleeting playoff hopes alive, going into Cleveland and beating a short-handed Browns team, 16-14. The Silver and Black were lucky to escape Cleveland with the victory, as the Browns took their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter, and the team needed another Derek Carr comeback drive to move to 7-7.

With that win in their pocket, Las Vegas now returns home to face a divisional foe in the Denver Broncos, and they could not be getting the Broncos at a better time. During their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last weekend, the Broncos saw quarterback Teddy Bridgewater go down with a horrific injury, having to be put on a stretcher and sent to the hospital.

Ruled out with a concussion, Bridgewater is likely out against Las Vegas in Week 16, which means Drew Lock will be under center for the Broncos. Lock is one of the worst quarterbacks in football, and the Raiders have his number, so there is no reason why they do not move their record to 8-7 this weekend, and possibly move into a playoff spot.

Raiders dominate the Broncos at home

The Raiders have struggled since the bye week, and outside of a 36-point showing against the Dallas Cowboys, the offense has been off. Against Denver, the Raiders need to have a game plan like they did early on against Cleveland, attacking through the air, as the run game has been non-existent all season long.

Las Vegas should be able to get to Lock early and often in this game, forcing him into mistakes, which has been his MO since coming into the league. The Raiders also have to do a better job of taking care of business at home, and a win against a division rival this late in December will go a long way in them being legitimate playoff contenders.

Raiders QB Derek Carr entering the most crucial stretch of his NFL career

The Las Vegas Raiders pushed their record to 7-7 in Week 15, setting up the most crucial three-game stretch of his career for Derek Carr.

The Raiders are extremely depleted in the secondary, but thankfully, they play two quarterbacks across the next two weeks in Lock and Carson Wentz who is not going to hurt them there. They are going to have to stop the run game, which could be tough if Johnathan Hankins is out, but in the end, I like Las Vegas to not only beat the Broncos but to win convincingly on Sunday afternoon.

Final Score: Raiders 24, Broncos 10