Broncos vs. Raiders on TNF might be an unsettling trap game for Denver

The Denver Broncos have not lost a game since September and are now 7-2 on the season. When you look at the big picture, this team is 17-7 since their 0-2 start back in 2024, so they've won nearly 71% of their games for a year and a half now.

Now winners of six in a row, the Broncos return back home and host the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football. It's Denver's second AFC West game of the season and one that they should be able to comfortably win.

There are a ton of 'streaks' in this game, and most of them favor the Denver Broncos. When you look at each team, the betting spread, and how each club has been trending this year, you'd be hard-pressed to find a reason why the Raiders can win this game, and that's kind of the issue here, as the Broncos must ensure they do not fall victim to the trap game in Week 10.

All signs point to the Broncos winning in Week 10, but that is the problem...

Listen, I am not trying to be a 'doomer' here for the sake of being negative, but whenever a great team plays a bad team, the idea of a trap game is always present, and when you peel back the curtains a bit, you will see what I am talking about.

Here's the first streak present in this game that goes against the Broncos:

The Broncos have a long losing streak in primetime against divisional opponents; it's now a 10-game losing streak, and the team has not won one of these such games since the first week of the 2017 NFL Season. The second streak present here is Denver having now won nine games in a row at home. They haven't lost at home in over a calendar year, and their last home loss was against a divisional opponent in the LA Chargers.

At some point, the Broncos aren't going to keep winning all of their home games...

Another streak present here is the Raiders divisional losing streak. The last time they won a divisional game was back in Week 18 of the 2023 NFL Season, against, you guessed it, the Denver Broncos. And until the 2024 NFL Season where Denver swept Las Vegas, they had a losing streak against the Raiders.

All signs point to the Broncos being heavy favorites in this one - and sure, they could absolutely blow the doors off of the Raiders. Vegas has been a disastrously bad team this year. But, at the end of the day, this game is on a short week and against a divisional opponent. Both of those factors could create a much closer game than expected.

The Broncos, simply, have to ensure they do not fall victim to the trap game in Week 10.