Bettors all over Raiders; better bet taking ‘under’
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Players puffed on victory cigars in the Raiders’ locker room Sunday to celebrate a 30-6 win over the Giants in their first game under interim coach Antonio Pierce.
Pro bettors and the betting public are banking on the Raiders to celebrate another victory over the Jets on “Sunday Night Football” at Allegiant Stadium.
New York opened as a 2½-point favorite over the Raiders before its 27-6 home loss to the Chargers on Monday night. The line was then readjusted to 1½ and dropped to a consensus pick’em after sharp money showed at BETMGM sportsbook on the Raiders +1.
The Raiders were 1-point favorites at BETMGM on Friday, while the Jets were favored by 1 at Circa Sports and the Westgate Superbook.
Bettors are all over the Raiders at Station Casinos.
“It’s been all Raiders,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “The game currently sits at pick, and it looks like it might go to Raiders as the favorite. The ticket count is 5-1 in favor of the Raiders.
“We’ll be chanting J-E-T-S throughout the day.”
Pro sports bettor Jeff Whitelaw wagered on the Raiders +1.
“I just think the Jets are on a short week traveling out here. You can’t really rely on the Raiders beating the Giants because that doesn’t really matter,” he said. “But I don’t think they were big fans of (former coach Josh) Mcdaniels. It looks like they’re going to play for this new coach.
“It seems like they’re definitely going to be motivated a little bit more.”
The Jets are tied for eighth in the league in scoring defense, allowing 19.5 points per game, but are No. 30 in scoring offense, averaging only 16.5 ppg.
“It’s hard to justify the Jets as a road favorite in that they can’t score,” Superbook vice president of risk Ed Salmons said. “If the Jets play mistake-free —and that’s a very big if — you’ve got to like their defense against a rookie quarterback (Aidan O’connell).
“The Jets have one of the best defenses in the league. But I don’t know how anyone in the world can lay points with the Jets, given how they can’t score.”
The consensus total is the lowest on the board at 36½ after opening at 37½. The number is 36 at Station Casinos.
“It’s one of only a few games where you look at the ticket count and it clearly favors the under,” Esposito said. “It really speaks volumes about these two offenses. It doesn’t look like it’ll be a high-scoring game.”
Several trends favor the under in this one. New York (4-4, 4-3-1 against the spread, 3-5 over/under) has gone under in three straight games, and the Raiders (4-5, 4-5 ATS, 2-7 over/under) have gone under in six of seven.
NFL prime-time unders are 23-7 this season and on a 13-1 run.
The Raiders are +995 at Circa Sports to make the playoffs (no is -1,600), and Pierce is 115-1 at Circa to win the NFL Coach of the Year award.