NFL Week 8: Las Vegas Raiders vs Detroit Lions
Raiders Drop Winnable Game at Chicago, While Lions Were Crushed in Baltimore
The Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) head to Detroit. Michigan to take on the resurgent Lions (5-2) who lead the NFC North by two NFL games over the Minnesota Vikings. The Raiders were a small 2.5-point road favorite but failed to take advantage of a Bears team that was without quarterback Justin Fields. Baltimore destroyed Detroit, 38-6, with the Ravens closing as a field goal favorite.
Vegas hasn’t declared who will start at QB, but oddsmakers opened the Lions as an 8-point home favorite with a total of 46 according to this week’s NFL point spreadsheet. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET / 5:15 p.m. PT and can be seen on ABC. Let’s start our Raiders-Lions odds preview with a deeper look at Las Vegas.
Garoppolo Could Get The Start
Most odds services have not listed a starter for the Raiders at quarterback, but it appears that Jimmy Garoppolo could be in for an upgrade in status on the NFL injury report. The 2-Time Super Bowl champion was scheduled to be back at practice Thursday, to back up the speculation of his return. The 31-year-old went out with a back injury against the New England Patriots and sat out last week’s loss as a result.
If Garoppolo is unable to go, Aidan O’Connell will get the ball. It appears that the Raiders could be headed towards the seventh straight NFL season where they failed to produce a profit for bettors, but with a 3-4 ATS record this pro football season, there is still time. They managed a .500 mark as an underdog since 2017 against the number (33-33), but as a road dog, the Raiders are 18-20 ATS (-3.05 units). Let’s continue our Raiders-Lions odds preview by switching gears over to the Lions.
There’s Always One
We don’t put too much into the Lions beatdown last week at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. There is always one of those games for the better teams in the league and the Lions just had theirs. When betting on the NFL, we can’t emphasize how important it is to forget what you just saw and anticipate the opposite happening in a team’s next time out.RB David Montgomery was out and Jared Goff was about as bad as you’ll see him play.
Detroit’s defense allowed over 500 yards while allowing Lamar Jackson all the time and space needed to pick apart a normally reliable secondary. From a wagering perspective, Detroit is on quite a roll despite last week’s setback.
Since 2021, the Lions are 28-13 ATS (+12.53 units), including 7-3 as a favorite. The numbers are even better at home where Detroit has covered 15 of their last 20 football games and is 5-2 as a home favorite. We conclude our Raiders-Lions odds preview with our official selection.
Expect The Unexpected
NFL scores involving these two teams were not what bettors might have expected. The Lions gave up 38 points while the Raiders allowed 30 points with a guy named Tyson Bagent behind center. The number opened at 44 but was quickly bet up to 46.
We try to teach this lesson in every column, two negatives do equal a positive in sports gambling, meaning a positive result. The under has cashed 23 of the Raiders’ last 41 games because it’s the defense that Vegas often relies on after a less-than-stellar offensive performance. Anticipate this number growing more so no need to run out and bet it now. Our official selection is under 46.5 but keep shopping.
That concludes our Raiders-Lions odds preview, we wish you nothing but the best with your wagers this weekend.
For NFL news, Raiders vs Lions analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
