The Oakland Raiders (1-1) are hosting the Denver Broncos (2-0) this week at the Oakland Coliseum.  The Raiders’ defense has been very strong so far this year and has been one of the surprises of the league in this young 2009 season.  The offense has been a different story though, as JaMarcus Russel has struggled a lot through the first two games.  He has had some plays though that show how talented he is, but the Raiders need more consistency out of him at the quarterback position.

The Raiders are going up against one of the best defenses in the league.  First year head coach Josh McDaniels has sparked a new life into the Broncos defense and they are the reason this team has been successful.  The Broncos offense has not been very strong and quarterback Kyle Orton has been mediocre at best.  He has two touchdowns, but one was a tipped pass at the end of their week one game, where Brandon Stokley caught the tipped ball and ran it in for a last second victory.  So, the Broncos should be 1-1.

The Raiders defense is definitely going to be effective against the Broncos and I am expecting them to force some turnovers.  I think the Broncos defense will do the same, as both offenses are no match for the defense they are going up against.  I think the Raiders do have more weapons on offense though, as they are young and talented.  That talent hasn’t been very effective thus far though, but if Russel can have a solid game the Raiders have a great shot at winning.  I think the Raiders defense is going to make some big plays and it will help the Raiders pull off the upset and beat the Broncos late.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Broncos 20, Raiders 24