Don't Lay Massive Points with Raiders at Home vs. Vikings
By Ben Heisler
The Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders wrap up the final game of Week 1's preseason schedule from Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon.
This is the Raiders' second preseason matchup after playing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game a little over a week ago in Canton, Ohio; defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-11 in Josh McDaniels' first game as head coach. Vikings new head man Kevin O'Connell makes his coaching debut today.
The Vikings have 10 starters out for their first preseason game, causing a major line jump at the sportsbooks. Meanwhile, star tight end Darren Waller and cornerback Cre'Von LeBlanc won't play for the Raiders due to injury.
So that's 10 starters sitting out today for the #Vikings at the Las Vegas Raiders. Heading in today, two were known to not be playing in QB Kirk Cousins (COVID-19) and TE Irv Smith Jr. (thumb injury).
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) August 14, 2022
Here are the odds for their matchup via WynnBET.
Vikings vs. Raiders Spread, Odds and Over/Under
Spread:
- Vikings: +5 (-110)
- Raiders: -5 (-110)
Moneyline:
- Vikings: +190
- Raiders: -230
Total: 38 (Over: -110/Under: -110)
Vikings vs. Raiders Prediction and Pick
What a move for a preseason game!
After opening at -3.5, the Raiders are now up to 5-point favorites in Las Vegas, so perhaps the sharps or the books got some local information to consider. Furthermore, after the total opened at 34, it's now moved to a consensus 38!
Vikings-Raiders total has moved from 34 to 38 points at @BetMGM.
— John Ewing 🦁 (@johnewing) August 14, 2022
This is the 7th preseason game this year to see a total increase by 3 or more points.
In the previous six games, the OVER went 5-1.
McDaniels may have surprised many bettors last week by playing starting running back Josh Jacobs for as long as he did, but as Donnavan Smoot pointed out earlier this week, coaching records in the preseason matter, and McDaniels is just 3-5 ATS all-time and comes from the Bill Belichick school of making sure your stars don't get hurt before the games actually count.
Minnesota not having a ton of starters out should impact the game early on against the Raiders' first team, but they know this game doesn't count either, and if McDaniels likes what he sees early on, their 1's will get out perhaps quicker than expected.
Either way, a 5-point spread feels far too high for me to try and consider for the first week of preseason. I'll back Minnesota to keep it competitive and make a run in garbage time.
LEAN: Vikings +5 (-110)
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