Raiders vs. Broncos preview: Short week to prepare for Peyton Manning does not bode well for Oakland

The Oakland Raiders lost their fifth straight game over the weekend to the Cleveland Browns. Unfortunately for the Raiders, all signs point to them losing six straight after they host the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. After some early season struggles as the team got to know its new quarterback, the Broncos have won their last seven games and Peyton Manning looks great. The Broncos have gone from a big question mark early in the season and are now serious contenders to make a deep playoff run.

The Raiders are looking more and more like a snake bitten team. Maybe it's the ghost of Al Davis, tormenting the team for going away from his distinct brand of football. Maybe it's karma getting even with Carson Palmer for quitting on his team in Cincinatti. Or maybe, it's just that Dennis Allen has lost control of the team and the Raiders are simply not playing hard. Either way, when you watch the Raiders play, no matter what the score is, no matter who has the momentum, you cannot help but assuming the Raiders will find a way to lose the game.

This week, with a tough loss to the Browns followed by losing head coach Dennis Allen for most of the week as he visits his ill father, the Raiders simply do not have much chance at all to even be competative in this game. Peyton Manning will have a field day picking apart one of the worst secondaries in all of football. On the other side of the ball, Carson Palmer will continue spending the game running for his life, but this week, he will be even more rushed with Von Miller nipping at his heels.

It became official after losing to the Browns at home, the Raiders are in the hunt for the number one pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. For those who have already dismissed the season and are only looking for something to be hopeful about, the Raiders chances of landing the first pick will increase after they get blown out of the water by Denver on Thursday.