NFL Odds 2022: Will Davante Adams Be Enough To Push Raiders Ahead?

Tune in to the “Ultimate Betting Show” on NESN on Friday at 5 p.m. ET for NFL training camp previews. Next up: Las Vegas Raiders

Derek Carr and the Raiders proved doubters wrong in 2021, and Las Vegas made it to the playoffs at the eleventh hour with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18, but they fell short against the eventual AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round. Josh McDaniels takes over as head coach, and while he isn’t bringing the New England Patriots culture with him, he will hope to bring an AFC West title to the Raiders for the first time since 2002.

McDaniels will lean on Carr for at least one year — his contract contains a potential out in 2023 — as he hopes his second go-around as an NFL head coach is better than his short run with the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010. Las Vegas’ biggest offseason addition was Davante Adams, and while he will undoubtedly improve the Raiders’ offense, Las Vegas will have to contend with a stout division that contains arguably three of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league in Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Russell Wilson.

Here’s everything bettors should know about the 2022 Denver Broncos, with odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.

2021 In Review
10-7, second in AFC West
8-9 against the spread
8-9 over/under

Key offseason additions
Head coach Josh McDaniels
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham
RB Zamir White (draft)
WR Davante Adams
WR Keelan Cole
LB Chandler Jones
LB Kenny Young
S Duron Harmon

Key offseason losses
QB Marcus Mariota
RB Kenyan Drake
WR DeSean Jackson
WR Zay Jones
C Nick Martin
DE Yannick Ngakoue
LB Nick Kwiatkoski
LB Cory Littleton
LB Carl Nassib
CB Casey Hayward

Look ahead to 2022
Super Bowl: +4000
Conference: +2200
Division: +650
Win total: 8.5 (Over -130, Under +110)
To make playoffs: Yes +150, No -195

2022 award contenders
MVP: Derek Carr +2800
Offensive Player of the Year: Davante Adams +1800
Defensive Player of the Year: Maxx Crosby +2800, Chandler Jones +3500
Coach of the Year: Josh McDaniels +2000

2022 outlook
Adams showed during his eight-year career with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers he was capable of being a top-five wide receiver. He now links up with his former Fresno State teammate in Carr, and along with Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow, McDaniels has a lot of tools in his toolbox to play with. Patrick Graham is a respected defensive coordinator around the league, and the Raiders should have a dominant pass rush, once again, with Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones on the edges.

However, will that be enough? The Las Vegas offensive line is without its weakest link in Alex Leatherwood, but it wasn’t strong to begin with. Can the secondary hold up to give the pass rush enough time to get at the quarterback? And speaking of quarterbacks, at the starting point of the season, Carr is the worst out of a strong group at the position.

Despite the perceived flaws in the roster, the public is high on the Raiders signal-caller on having a big season and to possibly win NFL MVP. McDaniels would be high on Coach of the Year ballots if the Raiders are able to come close to winning the division. Even some in NFL circles are high on Las Vegas, like Julian Edelman — though his return on investment might turn some away from his views on teams.

How you view the Raiders will depend on whether you’re a glass half full or glass half empty kind of person. Regardless, the AFC West is expected to bring in some of the best games of the NFL regular season as the Raiders will hope to be on the right end of those matchups.