Monday Morning Gambler: Raiders Stumble Against Bengals, and Cowboys Lurk on T-Day
By Dan Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
If the forecasts were correct, the Cincinnati Bengals at Las Vegas Raiders game on Sunday was going to be close.
Predicted CBS SportsLine: Raiders 27, Bengals 25. The website rated the Raiders +1 as a “C” play.
Said Odds Shark: Raiders, 25.7, Bengals 22.3. “The Raiders will win, cover the spread and the total will go under,” the website proclaimed.
But after 60 minutes of football on Sunday, the scoreboard at Allegiant Stadium read, Bengals 32 Raiders 13. And the Raiders, who went off as one- to two-point underdogs, had come up short.
Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia after the game: “We were running the ball well in play action, so we have to look at how the penalties actually hurt us and why we are so out of sync right now on offense. It has been a little bit of an ongoing theme for us to be talking about the last three weeks. So we have to see what we did poorly and then see how we can fix it.”
It doesn’t get any easier for the silver-and-black. A Thanksgiving Day showdown with the Dallas Cowboys at Jerry World in Arlington, Texas, looms. The current line is the Cowboys minus a medium-sized drumstick (-7) with the total at 50.5.
Elsewhere:
— Knights bettors cashing: With a few exceptions, the Vegas Golden Knights have been cashing tickets for bettors with impressive regularity. In their latest win, the men in the gold-toned helmets dispatched the Columbus Blue Jackets in a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory, on Saturday night. Bettors laid about -145 on the Knights, and the total went over 6.
Coach Peter DeBoer after the game: “We’re finding ways to win. I can’t wait until we’re healthy, and we can roll a full lineup out there.”
The win on Saturday gave the Golden Knights five wins in their last of six games and 10 of their last 13. They visit the St. Louis Blues on Monday. The VGK are generally +130 for the 5 p.m. matchup, and the total is 5.5.
ADVERTISEMENTS: Click ads for info
ADVERTISEMENTS
— UNLV in the spotlight: Two big games for UNLV athletics on Friday. At Allegiant Stadium, the Rebels battled the San Diego Aztecs before falling, 28-20. They did, however, cover +11 and even +11.5. The Aztecs’ final touchdown sent the total over 41. The Rebels actually outgained the Aztecs, 394-290.
The football Rebels, now 7-3-1 ATS for the season, close out the year with a game Friday at Air Force. The line is currently Air Force -18 with the total at 49.5.
In the Roman Main Event four-team tournament in Las Vegas, the Runnin’ Rebels battled nationally ranked Michigan before falling, 74-61. Most betting lines had the Rebels +12.5 so they failed to cover by the “hook.”
The Runnin’ Rebels, +3.5, lost to Wichita State, 74-73, in the consolation game late Sunday — but it was their first cover of the season. The Runnin’ Rebels are now 3-2, but their record is 1-4 ATS. They host Whittier College on Wednesday.
— Big favorite pays off: Terence Crawford, a -800 favorite, stopped former two-time welterweight champ Shawn Porter of Las Vegas by TKO on Saturday night.
Porter announced his retirement after the fight. Betting tickets on him at +400 for the bout were similarly retired. Crawford was actually +160 to win by KO/TKO or DQ.
A crowd of 11,568 at Michelob Ultra Arena witnessed the fight.
— Covering the number: How tough is it beating college football this time of year? It may not always be easy but on Saturday Ohio State, -19, defeated Michigan State, 56-7; Michigan, -16, manhandled Maryland, 59-18; Minnesota, -7.5, beat Indiana 35-14; and Cincinnati, -10, drilled SMU, 48-14. However, Alabama, -21, struggled with Arkansas and failed to cover in a 42-35 win. If you’re curious about the annual showdown between Michigan and Ohio State, the line currently is Ohio State -8 with the total at 64 for the game at Michigan on Saturday.
— Laugher of the week: Louisiana-Lafeyette was +4.5 vs. Liberty on Saturday in college football. The Ragin Cajuns won outright, 42-14, giving them a cover by 32.5 points.
