Sharp bettors back Raiders over Broncos on ‘MNF’
The sharp money is on the Raiders over the Broncos on “Monday Night Football” in what might be the final game the storied franchise plays at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Denver is a consensus 3-point favorite over Oakland at Las Vegas sports books, but the line dropped to 2½ as of Monday afternoon at South Point and Caesars Entertainment.
The ticket count is 3-2 in favor of the Broncos at Caesars, but the money is 2-1 in favor of the Raiders.
“The early action was on the Broncos, but the last 48 hours there’s been more Raiders action,” Sunset Station sports book director Chuck Esposito said. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that we’ve seen some Raiders money when you look at possibly the last game ever in the Oakland Coliseum and all the history of that franchise and arguably some of the most loyal fans in any sport.
“It’s a chance for Chucky (coach Jon Gruden) to win his last game and it’s Christmas Eve and prime time at home.”
The game is otherwise meaningless to the AFC West rivals as both are out of playoff contention.
The Broncos (6-8) lost their last two games overall and are 0-2 SU and ATS in their last two games at Oakland. They’re also on an extended 4-12 slide on the road.
“The game doesn’t mean anything to Denver,” Esposito said. “A couple weeks ago, they had the inside track to the wild card and there’s been a lot of rumbling about a coaching change. The Raiders have a lot more emotion and a lot more to play for than the Broncos.”
Oakland (3-11) covered its last two home games against the Chiefs and Steelers and the home team has covered the last five meetings between the Raiders and Broncos.
The consensus total is 42½ after it opened at 44. Denver is on a 14-4 under streak and the last three meetings have gone under.
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Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.