Raiders vs. Commanders Point Spread: NFL Week 3 Odds, Prediction
UPDATE: Daniels was ruled out of Week 3’s game on Friday afternoon. Backup Marcus Mariota will start in his place. See details below.
As of Thursday afternoon, the big question on everyone’s mind heading into Sunday’s matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Washington Commanders is the status of Commanders’ star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is questionable with a knee sprain.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Commanders are 3.5-point favourites on the NFL odds board, while the Raiders are +150 road underdogs. The total (or over/under) is sitting at 44. Elsewhere, the Raiders are a 1.5-point underdog in the first half with slight juice (-110), while the Commanders are sitting at -150 to hold a lead at halftime.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders underwent a complete overhaul of their team in the offseason, and the results have been mixed so far. Geno Smith and the new-look Las Vegas offence were excellent in the season opener against the New England Patriots, but that all came crashing down in a Week 2 loss against the Chargers, where Smith threw numerous interceptions and looked out of sorts all game.
Washington Commanders
As of Thursday afternoon, Daniels has yet to practice for the Commanders, leaving early bettors left wondering what to do with this one. He underwent and MRI on the knee and has participated in rehab sessions this week. The team is holding out hope that he’ll get a workout in on Friday. In two starts, Daniels is working on a 59.7 completion percentage on 433 passing yards to go along with three touchdowns and another 85 yards on the ground from 18 carries. If he does suit up, you have to wonder how much his mobility will be hampered at this point and you’d think the team might err on the side of caution with their blue-chip quarterback.
Meanwhile, veteran Marcus Mariota is holding down QB1 spot in practice this week. Mariota hasn’t started a game with Washington since joining the team more than a year ago, but has made three appearances. His last starting gig was back in 2022 with Atlanta.
Who Will Win Raiders vs. Commanders?
Washington was a team that I was looking to fade coming into the season, while the Raiders were a side I was looking to back early and often. Despite an awful showing from Smith in Week 2, I’m not deterred heading into this week, especially considering the status of Daniels. The Commanders offence is less threatening without its star quarterback, and this is already a unit that sits at an underwhelming 20th in EPA per play and 19th in success rate. If Daniels is hobbled, that seriously limits their most dynamic offensive weapon.
Defensively, Washington had the benefit of playing a struggling Russell Wilson in Week 1, before coming back down to earth against Jordan Love and the Packers a week ago. Things could continue to trend in that direction against Smith, Brock Bowers, and a Raiders offence that will be thankful they aren’t lining up against one of the best defences in the sport this week.
Ultimately, this is a game where Las Vegas should bounce back a bit, and I can’t trust Washington to win by a margin, given the status of Daniels. I’ll take the Raiders +3.5 in a game that should finish with a 24-21 Las Vegas victory.
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