In what feels like another must-win game, the Broncos face the Raiders in Week 12. Let's make three bold predictions for the game. Denver is getting closer and closer to snapping their playoff-drought streak. They last made the postseason in 2015, when I was in high school. Well, it's been so long that I now teach high schoolers for a living.
Broncos Country and the franchise are desperate to get back into the postseason, and while Denver has not had an easy time beating the Raiders in recent years, this is the type of game that they simply need to win. The Broncos are a good team; the Raiders are not, period.
Denver may end up in a closer game than we think, but this is another must-win. In Week 11, we were pretty nails with our three bold predictions, as I had predicted that Denver would win by at least 17 points, Bo Nix would throw for four touchdowns, and the team would sack Kirk Cousins five times.
The Broncos sacked him four times, so I was just short. Well, let's see if we can get a clean-sweep with our bold predictions this week.
3 bold predictions for the Denver Broncos in Week 12 versus Raiders
Bo Nix and Troy Franklin finally connect on a deep touchdown pass
I can feel it! Troy Franklin dropped what would have been a deep touchdown pass from Bo Nix... in Week 5 versus the Las Vegas Raiders, and Franklin has struggled with the drops this year. To be fair, Franklin is only 21 years old and is a rookie, and I am not sure the plan was for him to plan this much in year one.
The injury to Josh Reynolds surely got him more reps, and with the underwhelming performance this year from Marvin Mims as a WR and not a return-man-gadget-player, Franklin has seen more snaps than I am sure he even expected. At some point, the chemistry between Nix and Franklin is going to pay off.
With the Raiders perhaps not having most of their starting secondary, and with how well Franklin has been able to separate in 2024, the time is now for Nix and Franklin to hit on a deep touchdown pass.
Broncos intercept Gardner Minshew II three times
The Denver Broncos actually picked-off the Las Vegas Raiders quarterbacks three times back in Week 5. They got to Gardner Minshew II twice and Aidan O'Connell once after Minshew was sent to the bench. Well, how about another three-interception game?
The Broncos are going to intercept Gardner Minshew II three times in Week 12. The two teams were kind of in a similar state when they first met in Week 5, but the Broncos have truly begun to separate themselves and are trending upward, while the Raiders are obviously not.
Furthermore, their top two running backs, Alexander Mattison and Zamir White, did not practice for the second day in a row, so if Vegas is without their top RBs, their already weak run game may be totally non-existent, and that could force them to throw the ball more.
Bo Nix throws for at least 4 touchdown passes (again!)
On top of their running backs not practicing on Thursday, their top three CBs in Jakorian Bennett, Nate Hobbs, and Jack Jones did not practice. Can you imagine if Denver went into a game without Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, and Ja'Quan McMillian?
Sure, the Raiders trio is not as good as Denver's, but it's the same idea. The Raiders secondary may be severely depleted, and that should only mean that Bo Nix lights them up. The Atlanta Falcons were missing multiple CBs in their Week 11 contest versus Denver, and all Nix did was throw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns.
To me, it makes sense if the Broncos went out in Week 12 and just punched the Raiders in the mouth. Denver was aggressive on offense in Week 11 even when they got out to a huge lead, so I don't know why that would not continue in Week 12.
Bo Nix is going to throw for another four touchdown passes.