Weekend Sports Gambler: Raiders Are 1-4 But Have Covered Last Two Games
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By Dan Behringer, LVSportsBiz.com Sports Betting Writer
At least the Raiders covered.
In fact, the Raiders have covered two straight games for bettors. In fact, parlaying the Raiders and the over, 51.5 in their MNF game vs. the Kansas City paid like a loose slot machine. They were +7 or +7.5 and covered in their 30-29 loss.
True, the Raiders are a disappointing 1-4 and their playoff chances have dwindled dramatically. But two straight cashes — the first of which was the 32-23 win over the kickless Denver Broncos — at the window are something.
“So, learning lessons the hard way sucks,” coach Josh McDaniels told reporters after the defeat. “But, again, I think our team realizes you can compete with them, but there’s a difference between just being in the game and then being able to close the game. And those are the lessons that we’re going to have to learn, hopefully soon.”
Mercifully, the Raiders have a bye this weekend.
They next host the Houston Texans (1-3-1) on Oct. 23. The early line has the Raiders at -8 with the total at 43.
Elsewhere:
— Fast-starting Knights: The Vegas Golden Knights, who are undefeated after their first two games, will be at the Seattle Kraken, 1-0-1 on Saturday.
They already have wins over the Los Angeles Kings at even money and the Chicago Blackhawks at a ridiculously high -375.
“Sometimes it’s not pretty,” VGK goalie Logan Thompson told the Las Vegas Sun after the 1-0 win over the Blackhawks in their home opener. “You’ve got to rely on your athletic ability, and tonight it worked out for me.”
An early line has the Golden Knights at -143 vs. the Kraken. The puck drop is at 7 p.m.
— Rebels as underdogs: The UNLV football Rebels, with their starting QB situation imperiled, find themselves as double-digits underdogs vs. the Air Force Falcons on Saturday. The Rebels are +10 vs. the Falcons.
They are 4-2 and 4-2 ATS. The Falcons are also 4-2 but 3-3 ATS.
Doug Brumfield, the left-handed slinging sophomore starter, was out after the first quarter of UNLV’s 40-7 loss vs. San Jose State last weekend. Coach Marcus Arroyo said Brumfield is “day-to-day” with head and ankle injuries.
“He’ll deal with our doctors until they clear him. Then we’ll be ready to roll,” Arroyo told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “But we’re going to make sure we get him back the right way. We’re not going to hurry him back.”
After opening at 54.5, the total has come down to 49.5.
According to Covers.com, 64 percent of the betting interest is on Air Force.
Kickoff at Allegiant Stadium is at 7:30 p.m.
— October baseball: With Major League Baseball division series underway, odds for winning the World Series are shifting.
At BetMGM, the Houston Astros have the shortest odds at +225. They are followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves, respectively, at +275, +400 and +600.
The Seattle Mariners, down 0-2 in their series with Houston, are +4,500.
“We are winning the World Series in 2022. I know where you’re going with that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Dan Patrick on his eponymous show back in March. “We will win the World Series this year, put it on record.”
The Dodgers were about +500 back then.
— Race odds: Odds for Sunday’s South Point 400 are up with Denny Hamlin generally the favorite at +550, according to DraftKings. Chris Bell and Ross Chastain are both +800. Further down the list, Kyle Busch is +1,200.
Race time for the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race is 11:30 a.m.
— Close cover: If you were on Kansas at +7.5 vs TCU last weekend, you had a winner. It was a winner on the point spread since TCU won, 38-31, but the “hook” provided the margin of victory. That’s all you need to cash a ticket.
— Play of the Week (4-2): We slipped to 4-2 for the season last week when we were on the wrong side of the Dallas Cowboys 22-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams. We’re back on college football this week and on Iowa State +16 vs. Texas.
