Denver (9-3) at Oakland (3-9), Denver favored by 10 1/2
These two teams are headed in vastly different directions. The Broncos have won seven straight games and the Raiders have lost five in a row. Raiders coach Dennis Allen will be coaching with a heavy heart as his father passed away on Monday. The Broncos clinched the AFC West last week with their win over Tampa Bay and are now playing to stay in the race for homefield advantage and a possible first round bye in the playoffs. The Raiders defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone all season, including the Cleveland Browns last week, so expect Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas to have big games. The Raiders hope that the return of Darren McFadden can jump start their porous rushing attack, but McFadden wasn’t doing all that much before he got hurt. All signs point to a Broncos rout, but Thursday night games can go against the norm due to the short week. I still expect Denver to win but the Raiders to keep it somewhat interesting.
Prediction: Denver 34, Oakland 24
College Basketball – Top 25
Arkansas-Little Rock (7-3) at #11 Cincinnati (7-0), 7:00 PM ET. Hopefully Nick Lachey behaves at the game.
Long Beach State (3-4) at #4 Syracuse (6-0), ESPN2, 8:00 PM ET.
#16 Creighton (7-1) at Nebraska (6-1), 8:00 PM ET. Battle of Nebraska. Surprised this isn’t on the Big Ten Network.
UCSB (3-4) at #17 San Diego State (6-1), 10:00 PM ET.
NBA
New York (13-4) at Miami (12-4), TNT, 8:00 PM ET. According to Stephen A, this is the game the Heat were looking ahead to and why they lost to the Wizards on Tuesday.
Dallas (8-10) at Phoenix (7-12), TNT, 10:30 PM ET. Dallas needs Dirk back, and poor Kendall Marshall got shipped by the Suns to the D-league.
well…this was nice
/fixed
Better said
Well even without Carmelo and of course Amare St. and Shumpert haven’t played all year, Knicks are up by 9 in the 4th. I am interested to see how they adjust when Amare and Shumpert return.
Also got to watch Syracuse beat Long Beach State tonight. Hard to tell how good the team is but they could be really good this year, as in final four good.
Check that, without Carmelo, Knicks up by 16 on the defending champs.