The Las Vegas Raiders Week 1 game against the Denver Broncos could provide a major clue for which team will finish at the bottom of the AFC West. Ahead of the Raiders-Broncos game, our Raiders Week 1 predictions suggest that the 2023 season could be another disastrous campaign for Russell Wilson and Denver.

To say that the Raiders' expectations for 2023 are not high would be an understatement. Coming off a 6-11 record, Las Vegas has the worst odds of any AFC team to win its division. There were rumors early in the offseason that Davante Adams could be traded. Josh Jacobs held out from training camp until hours before Las Vegas' 2023 preseason finale. The Broncos are four-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook to beat the Raiders in Week 1.

Denver was even worse than Las Vegas last year. The Broncos finished a game behind the Raiders for the worst record in the AFC West. Denver's biggest offseason addition was head coach Sean Payton, who many believe will turn the franchise around.

It would be a surprise for either the Raiders or Broncos to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs atop the division in the 2023 season. If our Raiders Week 1 predictions prove to be correct, Las Vegas will at least get off on the right foot.

Note that these are bold Raiders predictions. It's a long shot that all three predictions will come to fruition, yet the outcomes are more likely than the odds would suggest.

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3. Raiders WR Davante Adams will have 150 receiving yards

A case can be made that Adams has managed to become underrated. The Raiders' star has +2000 odds at FanDuel to lead the league in receiving yards, giving him worse odds than nine other players. Much of that is due to Jimmy Garoppolo becoming the new Raiders' quarterback, but Adams has proven that he can rack up high receiving totals without an elite passer under center. Derek Carr played so poorly that he was benched at the end of 2022, and Adams still finished third with 1,516 yards.

The Broncos had trouble slowing down Adams in both of their matchups with the Raiders last season. Adams caught nine passes for 101 yards in the first meeting. A month and a half later in Denver, he had seven receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns.

Maybe Adams' production will slow down later in the season if Garoppolo suffers yet another injury. On Sunday, Adams should be his usual, dominant self.

2. Raiders will hold Broncos' QB Russell Wilson to 200 passing yards or fewer and just one passing touchdown

Maybe Wilson is just washed. Much of the blame for Wilson's poor first year in Denver was placed on Nathaniel Hackett. Payton certainly wasn't shy about piling on the Broncos' coach of 15 games. But there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the Broncos' quarterback will continue to struggle, even against a below-average Raiders defense.

Wilson showed signs of heading in the wrong direction during his final season with the Seattle Seahawks. He put up decent numbers against Las Vegas in 2022, though he failed to throw for 250 yards in either game. Denver totaled just 39 points in the two meetings. Wilson averaged 234.9 passing yards per game for the season.

The Broncos have already lost Tim Patrick for the season, and Jerry Jeudy could miss Week 1 with a hamstring injury. In one of the two games that Wilson played without Jeudy in the lineup last year, Denver's quarterback was held to 142 passing yards.

1. Raiders will beat the Broncos in Week 1

The Raiders are +172 underdogs to upset the Broncos. With -205 odds at home in Week 1, Denver is supposed to win Sunday's game. It just might not turn out that way.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Raiders could be significantly more talented than the Broncos. It's absolutely within the realm of possibility that Garoppolo is just as good of a quarterback as Wilson. Adams is clearly the best receiver in the Raiders-Broncos' Week 1 game. Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Renfrow help give Las Vegas the better overall receiving corps. Jacobs was the NFL's best running back a season ago, winning the 2022 rushing title with 1,653 yards on the ground. Javonte Williams will only get so many carries to start the season with the Broncos because he suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL 11 months ago.

Las Vegas went 2-0 against Denver last year. Maybe the Broncos will be a completely different team under Payton. There's also a good chance that Denver's roster isn't good enough to get back to the playoffs. If that's the case, the Raiders can steal a Week 1 victory and earn an important win against a key division rival.