In Week 4 of the NFL season the Denver Broncos will be hosting the Oakland Raiders in a AFC West showdown. The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders came into the season with hopes of winning the AFC West, but both teams are currently 2-1, sitting behind the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, who are on top of the division.

Both Denver and Oakland suffered their first losses of the season on Sunday, and would like to avoid losing two consecutive games, so expect these bitter rivals to come prepared for a slugfest.

Oakland is one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season, and looked very much like a contender in their first two games before getting embarrassed by the Washington Redskins on Sunday night.

The Broncos came into the season as a fringe contender because they have a great defense, but an inconsistent offense. Quarterback Trevor Siemian has played well so far, but the defense let them down on Sunday with their lack of discipline.

Last season, the Raiders won both regular season matchups, so the Broncos have something to prove in this game.

Von Miller put a lot of the blame for Sunday’s loss on his shoulder, so expect a big game from the former Super Bowl MVP this week.

NFL Week 4 Picks, Predictions and Betting Odds

Oakland brought in the previously retired Marshawn Lynch to help improve their running game, but after three games, Lynch hasn’t looked anything like the runner he once was. The 31-year-old back has 139 yards on 36 carries and 1 touchdown.

Since the raiders fell behind early against the Redskins, the team quickly abandoned the running game. However, against an aggressive defense like Denver’s, they will need to run the ball effectively, which means Lynch should get a lot of touches.

Current NFL Week 4 betting odds have the Broncos favored to win by -2.5 points. Since this is a rivalry game between two teams vying for the division crown, I expect it to be close. Expect the Broncos to cover the spread on this one.