Both the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders are out of the playoff picture in the AFC for the season, but they go head to head against each other on Monday night football. The Broncos have only just been eliminated from contention over the past couple of weeks with two losses, and they have been very disappointing during that period. The Oakland Raiders have won just three games all season and they are firmly in rebuild mode right now, looking towards the future and accumulating draft picks.
There has to be a question mark hanging over the head of Broncos coach Vance Joseph after another disappointing season. Yet again the biggest problem on the team has been quarterback play, with Case Keenum failing to impress in his first season in the mile high city. After losing Peyton Manning all those years ago, the Broncos have failed to find the right man to lead their team, and this summer they will go in search of him yet again.
One positive for them this season has been the emergence of undrafted running back Phillip Lindsay, who has just short of 1000 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns. He has slipped through the net, and the Broncos have caught him to rejuvenate their running game and give them something to be excited about for the future.
The Oakland Raiders seemingly do have the right quarterback on the team in Derek Carr, but they are struggling to build a team around him, the opposite of the Broncos. While ever the Raiders have Carr they should also have hope and if they can find some top end defensive players in this draft of 2019, there is a chance that they can quickly turn their fortune around and play much better.
Having said that, right now it is clear to see there is a lack of quality on this team on both sides of the football. They are looking towards the future, but need help from the draft and that will be their aim next season.
The Raiders are not in a good place right now and while the Broncos have hardly been impressing themselves over the past couple of weeks, they have more than enough to beat the Raiders here. These two will already be thinking about their plans for the summer and how they are going to improve, but right now it is the Broncos that have the better team, and they are my pick.
