Raiders at Broncos 2023 Week 1: Game preview and prediction

The time has arrived for the Las Vegas Raiders to kick off their 2023 NFL season, and they will do so on the road against the Denver Broncos. This Week 1 matchup is between two hated AFC West rivals, and there are more storylines in this one than you can count.

On the Denver side, the Broncos brought in a future Hall of Fame coach this offseason, as Sean Payton makes his return to an NFL sideline. The Broncos tried to bolster the roster around Russell Wilson, who had a terrible first season in Denver, and is looking to quiet the noise that he is 'cooked.'

For the Raiders, this was an offseason of change, as they finally moved on from nine-year starting quarterback, Derek Carr. The veteran nearly broke every record in terms of the Raiders passing history, but the wins were few and far between, so he has been replaced with a guy who has done a lot of winning in the NFL in Jimmy Garoppolo

Raiders at Broncos Prediction in 2023 NFL Week 1

The Raiders go into this game as the underdog, but looking at the recent history between these two teams, it has been all Las Vegas. In fact, the Raiders have not lost to the Broncos since December of 2019, winning six straight games in the process.

The return of Josh Jacobs was key for the Silver and Black late in the summer, as he has been a Broncos killer in his career. In addition, Davante Adams shredded the Broncos in his first season with the Raiders in 2022, and he will look to continue that despite having a new quarterback throwing him the football.

This game is going to come down to whether or not the Raiders did enough on defense to actually win on a consistent basis this season. We know the struggles Wilson had last season with Denver, but the thought is that the arrival of Payton will help bring his career back to life.

I believe the Raiders are able to take care of business on Sunday, going into Empower Field at Mile High and winning a close game against their rival. The Broncos have a lot to figure out this season, and drawing a Raiders team that could be better than expected may be too much to handle in Week 1.

Final Score: Raiders 24, Broncos 21