The Los Angeles Rams will be looking to take one more step toward becoming champions after coming up just short of their Super Bowl hopes a year ago. The Oakland Raiders are looking to make a big leap forward in Year 2 of the Jon Gruden era after taking some massive steps to rebuild their roster in the image their high-priced head coach wants.
With the two set to meet on Saturday at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, let’s find out which one is offering the best betting value against their NFL preseason odds.
Rams vs Raiders 2019 NFL Preseason Week 1 Lines, Preview & Prediction
- When: Saturday August 10, 2019, 8:00 PM ET
- Where: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CA
- TV: None
- Radio: Los Angeles / Oakland
- Live Stream: NFL Network
- NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds: Oakland -4 / Total: 36.5
Weather Forecast
- Sunny: 22°C/72°F
- Humidity: 61%
- Precipitation: 2%
- Wind: 18 mph WNW
- Cloud Cover: 9%
- Type of Stadium: Open
Why Bet On the LA Rams at +4?
The Rams tied New Orleans for the best record in the league a year ago (13-3) and they reached Super Bowl 53 by getting past the Saints in the NFC Championship game, thanks to one of the worst blown calls in NFL history. Still though, Los Angeles looks poised to be one of the very best Super Bowl contenders there is in 2019, behind quarterback Jared Goff, running back Todd Gurley and wide receivers Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks.
The Rams finished the 2018 campaign ranked a stellar second in scoring (32.9 ppg), but they also saw their revamped defense underachieve in a big way in finishing 20th in points allowed (24.0 ppg). Still, L.A. has a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball in veterans Dante Fowler Jr., aging veteran linebacker Clay Matthews and former perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 30.84
- Total Yards: 412.26
- Pass Yards: 273.16
- Rush Yards: 139.10
- Average Score Against: 23.26
- Total Yards: 354.84
- Pass Yards: 238.58
- Rush Yards: 116.26
Why Bet On Oakland at -4?
The Raiders will look to take a big step forward after going an awful 4-12 in their first year under Gruden in 2018. The Raiders finished the 2018 regular season ranked a miserable 28th in scoring (18.1 ppg) and a completely pitiful 32nd in points allowed (29.2 ppg). Veteran quarterback Derek Carr is back under center after some offseason talk about possibly moving on from a player that looked like an MVP kind of talent just a few short years ago.
Carr completed a blistering 68.9 percent of his passes last season while throwing for 4,049 yards, but just 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Veteran running back Doug Martin led the team in rushing with 723 rushing yards, but just four scores. The good news is that Oakland made a bunch of nice offseason additions by trading for disgruntled former Steelers superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown while selecting former Clemson star defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell with the fourth overall pick and former Mississippi State safety Jonathan Abram with the 27th overall pick.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 18.12
- Total Yards: 336.19
- Pass Yards: 234.44
- Rush Yards: 101.75
- Average Score Against: 29.19
- Total Yards: 381.37
- Pass Yards: 240.81
- Rush Yards: 140.56
Rams vs Raiders NFL Preseason Week 1 Betting Trends
- Rams are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games
- Rams are 4-1 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went UNDER in 6 of the Rams’ last 7 games on the road
- Raiders are 4-8 ATS in the last 12 games
- Raiders are 4-12 SU in the last 16 games
- The total went UNDER in 9 of the Raiders’ last 12 games at home
Expert Analysis and Prediction for Rams vs Raiders
With Jared Goff almost certainly sitting out this Week 1 scrimmage opener, the Rams will be relying on backup Blake Bortles and third-stringer Brandon Allen to get the win in this one. On the opposite side of the field, Oakland’s Derek Carr will also sit this one out, leaving veteran backup Mike Glennon, third-stringer Nathan Peterman and roster-hopeful Landry Jones in charge of getting the win in this Week 1 opener.
While I’m definitely not excited about Oakland’s backup quarterback situation, I’m even less positive about the Rams’ seeing as how they’ve got the completely mediocre Blake Bortles as their No. 2 and a mostly untested Brandon Allen behind him. I don’t think it matters much that Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games while Oakland is 9-19-2 ATS in their last 30 games overall and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on grass, I’m going with the Raiders because I think Mike Glennon is the best backup quarterback in this affair and the fact that Oakland’s Jon Gruden clearly loves winning in the preseason, with a 33-17 career mark that includes a fine 3-1 mark a year ago.
Pick: Oakland Raiders -4
