NFL Betting – New Orleans Saints at Las Vegas Raiders
The New Orleans Saints are a favorite to reach the Super Bowl and they showed everyone why in their Week 1 win over TOMpa Bay. Drew Brees, the NFL’s all-time passing leader, threw for just 160 yards yet the Saints emerged with a 34-23 over Brady and the Bucs in a much-anticipated matchup. Brees and the offense look for a better effort on Monday Night Football when they help the Las Vegas Raiders christen their new stadium. The Raiders took advantage of the rebuilding Carolina Panthers posting a 34-30 victory last week and play the top team in the NFC South this week as an underdog on the NFL betting line. Bookmaker.eu offers a generous welcome bonus (limited time only $1600 bonus max).
New Orleans Saints at Las Vegas Raiders
Date and Time: Monday, September 21, 2020, 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Opening NFL Odds: Saints -6.5, O/U 51
Saints at Raiders TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
The visitors opened as a 6.5-point favorite only to see that number wagered down a full point. New Orleans had the best record against the spread last season going 11-5 and they covered the 4-point line in their opener. They won and covered in their final seven road games last season and they are a formidable foe. That hasn’t stopped the sharp money from coming in on the Raiders, though. Vegas looked good in its opener with a win and cover over the Panthers, but it’s the Panthers, a team not expected to do much as they start their rebuild. Still, the Raiders are showing promise with a young talented roster built on a number of draft picks that Jon Gruden acquired by trading away top-end talent. The teams last met in 2016 with Derek Carr leading the Raiders to a 35-34 win that easily cashed the over.
New Orleans Saints
Showing that they are more than just Brees and a high-flying offense, the Saints dropped the curtain on Brady’s Bucs debut, 34-23. Championship contending teams have to be multi-dimensional and the Saints certainly are. Brees threw for 160 yards and the Saints totaled only 271 yards yet they still covered the line thanks to their disruptive defense and special teams play. The Saints had two picks and three takeaways, including a Janoris Jenkins pick-six.
The Raiders should be worried since we don’t often see Brees have consecutive poor outings. Not that he was awful last week throwing for a pair of touchdowns, but the numbers weren’t Saints-like. Both Brees and Sean Payton called the performance “awful,” which shows how high expectations are. The offense sustained a blow when Michael Thomas went down with an ankle injury. He set the NFL record with 149 receptions last season and is out for this game.
If you think being on the road is going to bother the boys from the Big Easy think again. The Saints are 7-1 away from home in each of the last two seasons while going 13-3 ATS in those games. We associate the Saints with high scoring games and they deliver more times than not. However, a vastly improved defense the past few years led to the UNDER record of 9-7.
Las Vegas Raiders
The days at the rat-infested sewer-swamp of the Oakland Coliseum are over. Just like his daddy years ago, Mark Davis followed the money, had the good people of Las Vegas pay for a majestic stadium, and voila, the NFL is in Sin City. Wasn’t it just a few years ago that pro sports leagues wanted nothing to do with the town? What a difference legalizing gambling makes, but I digress. The Raiders opened their first season in their second new city with a nice win and cover in Carolina. But the competition ramps up for the home opener.
Now in his third season of his second stint with the club, Gruden is close to having the roster he envisioned when he took over. He flipped established stars for picks and the moves paid off with 10 players selected in the last two drafts currently on the roster with several of them in starting roles. The Raiders got it right taking Josh Jacobs with one of their first-round picks last year. Jacobs set a team rookie rushing record in 2019 and scored three times in the win over Carolina. He also had more scrimmage yards than Christian McCaffrey.
Derek Carr has been up and down during his time. Having the best group of playmakers around him could lead to a big year, though. Carr was an efficient 22 of 30 for 239 yards and a touchdown last week while the Raiders totaled 372 yards. Vegas had the ball for over 31 minutes by converting 6 of 11 third downs and not turning the ball over. That would help against the Saints since the defense was a little shaky in Week 1.
Bet Saints at Raiders at BookMaker.eu
It’s going to be a big night for the Raiders, but without any fans to witness the first NFL game in Vegas in person the atmosphere will be subdued. No team has won more games than the Saints the past two seasons and it looks like they are primed for another go. They have great balance and the Raiders have a beat up offensive line that will make keeping up a chore. With the spread coming down I have to back the visitors, though the total is too high for my liking.
NFL Score Prediction: Saints 27, Raiders 20
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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com
