Denver Broncos Early Favorites To Beat AFC West Rival Oakland Raiders In Week 5

USA Today

The Oakland Raiders got off to a hot start to the 2015 NFL season after suffering a rough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. Derek Carr and company seemed to have put it together heading into Week 2 with the much-improved offense lighting up the scoreboard against the visiting Baltimore Ravens.

After pulling off an incredible come-from-behind victory over Joe Flacco’s Ravens, the Raiders went on the road to face-off against the Cleveland Browns. Although the Browns were not considered to be a powerhouse or a tough competitor, the Raiders were underdogs on the road with many still not buying the team’s resurgence this season.

Ultimately, Carr led the Raiders to a second straight win and had the league buzzing about this young and talented Raiders squad being a team on the rise in the AFC. That buzz took a hit on Sunday with the Chicago Bears basically controlling the entire game against the visiting Raiders and coming out with the win as underdogs at home.

In Week 5, the Raiders will head back to Oakland in order to host Peyton Manning’s undefeated Denver Broncos in an AFC West divisional showdown. It’ll be the Raiders first divisional game of the season and potentially a turning point for the franchise if they can hand Denver their first loss of the season.

According to Sportsbook.ag, the Raiders are predictably underdogs at home. The Broncos are currently favored by -5.5 to get their fifth win of the 2015 campaign on Sunday in Oakland.

Although head coach Gary Kubiak has his team firing on all cylinders, the offense is still a question mark heading into Week 5. Manning has shown flashes of his dominant form, but has clearly lost a step or two. The real question is whether Khalil Mack and the Raiders defense can expose Manning in Week 5 while trying to bounce back from the disappointing loss to the Bears.