The Las Vegas Raiders blew it up, firing their head coach and GM on Tuesday. The New York Giants netted -9 passing yards in Week 8. This is going to be fun!
New York Giants vs. Las Vegas Raiders: Betting Odds
Spread: Las Vegas -1.5, Over/under: 37 points, New York +105 | Las Vegas -125
The Giants had one of the uglier losses in the NFL in Week 8, falling to the New York Jets 13-10 while completing just six passes and netting -9 with their pair of QBs. Some potential good news is coming with the return of Daniel Jones, but Jones was not playing well prior to injury, so it may be best to not get ahead of ourselves.
New York is now 2-6 and owns the NFL's worst point differential at -92.
Then there's the Raiders, who fired Josh McDaniels after a 3-5 start. Las Vegas has benched QB Jimmy Garoppolo, handing the team over to QB Aidan O'Connell and interim head coach Antonio Pierce. The Raiders have dropped two straight games and the offense has looked anemic over the past two weeks.
The Giants are 2-5-1 ATS and the Raiders are 3-5. New York has gone under the total in seven of eight games, making them the best under team in the NFL. Las Vegas isn't far behind, 6-2 to the under on the year.
I love me a team fresh off firing a head coach. According to reports, the locker room hated Josh McDaniels, and already since his firing, vibes seem to be up for the players.
How can you not love that narrative and back the Raiders to win this game at home? It helps that the opponent on the opposite side is so bad, and that is most definitely what we have here with the Giants.
New York has scored fewer than 16 points in all but one game this season. Let that sink in for a moment. The Giants are averaging just 11.9 points per game this season.
Don't get it twisted — the Raiders aren't far behind (15.8 PPG), but that's still better than New York. Both run defenses have really had issues this season, and I'd expect Pierce, a former linebackers coach, to focus on getting the running game unlocked and let Josh Jacobs find what made him the rushing champ last season.
I prefer going to the moneyline rather than the 1.5-point spread. For at least one week, the Raiders should be set to play with high-energy now that McDaniels is gone.
Follow Griffin Carroll at griffybets.substack.com for data, trends and targets for every NFL game, plus all the off-season news you can use.
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