Henry Roldán
Hoping to turn around a slow start in the season and fight in the second half of the schedule for a place in the playoffs, Las Vegas Raiders will be playing a vital game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
After winning last week with a 20-38 score over the Texans, the Raiders have a tough visit in this week 8 of NFL action against a New Orleans team that has also failed to live up to expectations, but remains close to the division leaders.
The good news for Las Vegas is that its offense has slowly begun to come together under the leadership of Derek Carr and running back Josh Jacobs, one of the best running backs of the current season, and who has three consecutive weeks with 140-plus rushing yards with six touchdowns in that period.
It is precisely the running back’s performance that has the Raiders as the second best team in yards per carry with 5.4, they are also seventh in average yards per play with 6.0 and are tied with the Cardinals as the second team that has given up the fewest fumbles on the season with just five.
The problem is that the defense, especially the secondary, has failed to respond at the right times and on Sunday they have a very tough test against the powerful Saints offense. Case in point, Las Vegas allows the fourth-highest average net yards per pass with 6.9 and their 13 TDs allowed per pass is the third highest in the league.
Predictions and Betting Preview for Las Vegas Raiders NFL Week 8 2022
BetMGM Moneyline (-120 )
The Raiders are slight favorites for Sunday’s game against the Saints despite the fact that they will be playing away, where they have lost all three games this season.
However, Vegas has played for a couple more wins and after their bye week they left good impressions against the Texans. Sure, Houston is one of the weakest teams in the NFL, but the important thing is that both the offense and defense responded in difficult moments.
Spread (-1 from BetMGM)
Being such an even match, the difference in the betting lines is minimal. In this season, the Raiders have a 3-3 record playing against the spread, while the Saints have not had as much success playing for 2-5 against the spread.
Bet MGM Over/Under (49.5)
Next Sunday, there is no doubt that the game will be won by the team that can score the most points, since both teams have very good offenses and defenses that were expected to have a great year, but have conceded the most points throughout the season.
Las Vegas has seen the Over come in four of its six clashes, while the Over has been present in five of New Orleans’ seven duels.
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Las Vegas Raiders Future Odds After the Week 7
Over/Under wins in the season: Over 7.5 (-135 from BetMGM) / Under 7.5 (+115 from BetMGM)
The Raiders’ slow start to the season has complicated their postseason expectations, especially since many don’t believe that they are capable of winning more than eight games in what is left of the schedule.
However, they could still overcome the quota with something unexpected. Their away games against the Jaguars, Broncos, Seahawks, Steelers and this week’s game against the Saints are winnable, while their matchup against the Rams as visitors looks to be the toughest.
In addition, they already beat an affordable opponent like the Texans at home, and could do the same with the Colts and Patriots. The remaining home games are against the Chargers, 49ers and Chiefs, so in order to meet the Vegas line, at least three home games should end in a win.
Raiders win AFC West (+2000 from BetMGM)
Week five’s loss to the Chiefs practically ended the hopes of winning the AFC West, but their win against the Texans revived the dream a bit, so in Vegas the Raiders’ odds went from (+2500) to (+2000).
The problem is that Kansas City’s lead is two and a half games and above them they still have the Chargers, another dangerous team against whom they already lost again during this season.
Raiders win AFC Conference (+3500 from BetMGM)
If it is complicated for the Raiders to win their division, they will have an even harder time winning the AFC when you consider that they would have to beat the Chargers and Chiefs, or even a much more difficult obstacle like the Bills. They must improve a lot and get on track to at least fight for a wild card spot.
BetMGM Raiders win Super Bowl (+5000)
Las Vegas doesn’t have a bad squad. The team has strengthened in the preseason, but the team seems to be adapting to the new strategy brought in by head coach Josh McDaniels. The Raiders are going to improve, but they need to do it fast before the playoffs train passes them by,
Derek Carr wins the MVP(+6600 from BetMGM).
Derek Carr’s candidacy for a possible MVP looks quite distant despite the fact that over the past two weeks his performance has been on the rise as he has completed 40 of 57 passes for 482 yards and three touchdown passes.
The problem is that his 1,520 total yards aren’t even in the top 10 in the circuit, and his nine touchdowns keep him tied with six other quarterbacks for 10th in the category. Add to that the fact that the Raiders have a negative record and are still far from the playoffs.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM. We invite you to read our reviews!
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