Rams at Raiders: Stream, odds, pick and prediction

Bet on L.A.

Based on what looks like a major mismatch of offense vs. defense, the Rams are worthy of a confident bet to win and cover on Monday night. Maybe a mediocre or losing week can be rectified at the last possible moment, but that shouldn’t be considered betting advice.

The over/under, since it’s so high, is a trickier proposition though. An optimist would say the Rams will carry it to 35-40 on their own, leaving the Raiders only having to score 10-14 points to push the total to the over.

As evidence of how risky an over bet is, the Oddsshark consensus on Thursday favored an under bet 55 percent to 45 percent. By comparison on line bets, there’s a 63 percent tilt toward the Rams.

Gruden’s arrival still carries plenty of buzz, and the Raiders should be better when it’s all said and done this year. But for Week 1 they will be plenty overmatched against the Rams, and it’s hard to see a narrow loss, let alone a good chance at a victory, to start the season.

Prediction: Rams 35, Raiders 24