Denver at Las Vegas

This has to be a big game for the Raiders. As Lane Kiffin enters his second year, the pressure is on to avoid a bad start to keep his job. Oakland has been no less than the worst team in football since the 2003 season, posting a combined 19-61 record. That losing has enabled the Raiders to draft into skill positions that will hopefully begin paying dividends this season. DeMarcus Russell, a former #1 pick, finally inherits this team. The Darren McFadden era also starts tonight, and this guy could be the second coming of Adrian Peterson. The pressure won't be too much for him tonight as he should get help from a 1,000 yard back from last season (Fargas). The Broncos have not fared well lately, and expectations are rising after two straight seasons sitting at home in January. Their improvement will have to come with 10 rookies on the roster. While the hype surrounding Jay Cutler is reaching a fevered pitch, he still hasn't proven a lot to me. He is a mistake prone QB with just 20 TD passes to 14 INT's and he will be without favorite target Brandon Marshall tonight. The Broncos running game finished in the bottom third of the league last year, so even more pressure will be on Cutler tonight. The bigger problem for Denver is a defense that gave up more points last year than every team but one in the AFC. The Raiders defense should be improved with the acquisition of DeAngelo Hall and Gibril Wilson in the secondary and Tommy Kelly to the defensive line. The Raiders offense is likely to score much more than last season, keeping the defense off the field which is something they couldn't do last season. One of Denver's problems is a 2-10 ATS mark inside of the divison the last two years, and they have not fared well as a favorite where they are just 5-15 ATS overall in their last 20. Shanahan's teams have had a tough time covering anticipated low scoring games when the total is posted at a below league average from 36 to 42, where he is just 36-53 ATS. The Broncos were a dismal 1-7 ATS last season on the road, yet are favored here. The Raiders won here last year, and this one looks like a close, field-goal type game. I'll take the points here in a game that could easily go either way.