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Jeremy Perry
Raiders vs. Saints Point Spread: NFL Week 8 Odds, Prediction
The Saints just self-destructed during a Thursday night loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Andy Dalton is going to get another start even though Jameis Winston is healthy. Can the Saints get back on track or will Las Vegas maintain momentum?
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Raiders tend to play down to their opponents. They are 0-6 ATS in their last six games played on the road against teams with a losing home record on the season. They are also 2-8 ATS during games that they’ve played against a team with a losing record.
Flipping over to the Saints, they are 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine games played during Week 8 of the season. Maybe it’s a lucky week for them? They are also 38-16 ATS in their past 54 games played during the month of October as well. It does feel like the team has changed a lot now that Sean Payton and Drew Brees have moved on, so maybe these trends are no longer of value.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have a number of tantalizing weapons in the passing game but they seem to have figured out how to win: via the running game. The ground game took complete control last week with Josh Jacobs leading the charge. He had 20 totes for 143 yards and three touchdowns. It was yet another multi-touchdown game for the young rusher who is in the midst of a contract season. He’s now third in the league with 633 rushing yards. When he runs for 100+, the Raiders are 2-1. When he fails to hit that mark, the team is 0-3.
Las Vegas does need more out of their defense, though. This unit hasn’t been able to hold an opponent under 20 points this entire regular season so far. That’s simply not going to get the job done.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are one of those teams that have been ravaged by injuries this year. However, they remain competitive in almost every game they play. This is a group that could have a winning record on the year but they continue to self-imploding with turnovers, penalties, lapses in coverage. There’s also a quarterback controversy brewing as Andy Dalton started will get the nod this week even though Jameis Winston is ready to return.
Dalton threw three backbreaking interceptions with two of them being returned for touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals last week. That might be enough to warrant Winston returning to his role as the starter. However, outside of that, Dalton had been effective.
The Raiders defense is soft, so if Dalton can lead the way to a win here, the job is likely his.
LV
NO