NFL betting guide: 5 best wagers for Week 1

CARSON, CA - AUGUST 25: Drew Brees #9 of the congratulates Alvin Kamara #41 of the New Orleans Saints after a touchdown in the second quarter of the pre-season game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on August 25, 2018 in Carson, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

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OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 10: Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden looks out onto the field during the preseason football game between the Oakland Raiders and the Detroit Lions on August 10,2018 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland,CA (Photo by Samuel Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. Wager on the Rams -4.5 at Oakland

It’s been a rough week for Jon Gruden. He’s getting skewered all over the internet about his foolish decision to let Khalil Mack head to Chicago. Things aren’t going to get better for him when the actual football starts this week.

The schedule makers didn’t exactly do him a solid by giving him the Rams in Week 1. There are serious questions about whether or not Gruden is up to the task of coping with life in the modern NFL. After all, it’s been over a decade since he was in charge on the sideline. Lining him up against the team’s most innovative offense isn’t going to ease him back into the saddle.

Expect the in-game atmosphere in Oakland to be pretty strange too. The Black Hole knows this team is headed to Los Vegas as soon as possible. Don’t expect Raiders fans to come out in droves to help this team battle the Rams. Instead, there’s a significant chance Rams fans will take over the stadium and turn this into a de facto home game.

Add all that up and it’s easy to envision the Rams simply outclassing the Raiders. Gruden is right when he points out that this defense wasn’t good with Mack last season. What he’s miscalculated is just how bad the group will be without him in 2018. Back the Rams to light up the Raiders in Week 1.