College teammates Derek Carr and Davante Adams have been reunited with the Raiders and will be the centerpiece of an offense that could be among the NFL’s best.
NFL
After the NFL draft, the Westgate SuperBook substantially lowered the odds on four teams to win the 2023 Super Bowl and raised the odds on four others.
For the fifth time in two weeks, Las Vegas sportsbooks adjusted their NFL futures after the Indianapolis Colts acquired quarterback Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons.
The Buffalo Bills were the sole 7-1 favorite at the Westgate SuperBook to win the 2023 Super Bowl before the Rams beat the Bengals, 23-20.
Ten of the last 13 NFL No. 1 draft picks have been quarterbacks. But the top four favorites at Station Casinos to go No. 1 this year are linemen.
Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh is the top choice. Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia is the +250 second choice.
Bettors loaded up on the Raiders and won big when they advanced to the playoffs with an overtime win over the Chargers. BetMGM alone lost almost $1 million on the game.
The betting public was all over the Colts in a game that saw the line soar to 8½ on Sunday when Indianapolis quarterback Carson Wentz was cleared to play.
The Houston Texans’ upset helped Las Vegas sportsbooks to a small winning day despite the fact that double-digit favorites went 4-1 ATS and favorites went 7-4 ATS overall.
BetMGM and Caesars each reported a seven-figure loss, the SuperBook reported a six-figure loss and Station Casinos also reported a big losing day capped by the Packers’ 45-30 win and cover over the Bears on “Sunday Night Football.”
In the first seven weeks of the season, there were only two outright upsets by underdogs of seven points or more. But there have been nine such upsets in the last four weeks.
Underdogs went 9-3 ATS with seven outright wins, including upsets by the Jaguars (+16) over the Bills and Broncos (+10) over the Cowboys.
The Los Angeles Chargers opened as 3-point favorites and were bet to -3½ after Right Angle Sports, a respected handicapping service, released a play on the Chargers -3.
Despite being tied for first place with the unbeaten Denver Broncos (3-0), the Raiders remain +550 long shots at BetMGM to win the division after opening the season at 18-1.
The Raiders are arguably the most surprising 2-0 team after traveling across the country on a short week and beating the Steelers 26-17 on Sunday as 5½-point underdogs.