Rams-Raiders opening odds: After 6 straight losses, LA is a home underdog again

The Los Angles Rams will not have much time to recover from a devastating last-second loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday as they prepare to take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football. With both teams sporting losing records there is not much to play for other than pride, but Las Vegas hasn’t seen their playoff hopes go completely dark yet so the Rams will need to bring a lot more than they have in their last six games.

All losses.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Raiders open as 5.5-point favorites as they look for their fourth straight win against a decimated Rams team.

LA gave all they could against their NFC West rival but fell short thanks to the heroics of Geno Smith who put together a methodical game-winning drive against the Rams porous bend-not-break defense. John Wolford got the start over Bryce Perkins but no matter who lines up behind the offensive line this Thursday they will likely being running for their life against LV’s defensive line.

Chandler Jones is coming off a three-sack game and has plenty of experience against the Rams offensive line from his time with the Arizona Cardinals. His counterpart, Maxx Crosby, has 10.5 sacks on the season which is good for fourth best in the NFL. Los Angeles will likely be starting its 13th different rotation of the season on the offensive line.

The Raiders were able to hold off a potential comeback from one of their own division rivals, the San Diego Chargers. After winning their last two games in OT, Derrek Carr was able to help lead his team to a victory in regulation. Davante Adams is coming off his best game of the year with 177 yards and two touchdowns on 12 attempts while Josh Jacobs continues to shine with another 100+ yard game, he finished with 144 yards rushing and a touchdown.

The Rams defense will have its hands full with Jalen Ramsey likely trailing Adams for most of the match. Bobby Wagner will look to capitalize on his best game in a Rams uniform against his former team. The longtime Seattle Seahawk finished with two sacks, an interception, and five tackles. All-Pro Aaron Donald could also be out of the lineup for the second week in a row as he nurses a high-ankle sprain.

All evidence points to Las Vegas covering the spread this week and are the safe bet even though they have tended to play down to their opponent this year (look no further than their overtime win against the Denver Broncos). The Rams are decimated but still have played hard week-in and week-out as they attempt to salvage some pride. Gritt isn’t enough to win games when the talent around you is lackluster.

With no number one receiver on the field and Matthew Stafford likely out for the season the Raiders should have an easy time against the defending Super Bowl champs with an offense lead by John Wolford and Tutu Atwell. If you are betting this weekend, I would go all-in on Vegas to cover the spread.