The Oakland Raiders are not setting American football betting odds-boards on fire, especially against the New England Patriots, but one can’t say they’re not breaking new ground. Literally. In Las Vegas. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, Raiders owner Mark Davis, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell all grabbed a shovel – or, as they presumably call them, “giant spoons” – in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Raiders’ Las Vegas stadium on Monday. Wayne Newton and Carlos Santana were in attendance, though it will hopefully not lead to collaboration between the two.
#TheRaidersAreComing https://t.co/QmvAdE7mh5
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 14, 2017
- Date: Sunday, 19th November
- Time: 4:30 PM
- Venue: Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
- Sportsbook online sportsbook NFL odds:
Patriots -6½ (-110) 52 (-109)
Raiders +6½ (-110) 52 (-111)
Major League Raiders
Whether the 1989 American sports comedy film Major League can be considered art is debatable, but life is certainly imitating it in Oakland, where the Raiders management is giving away home games to international markets while in the midst of a relocation to a more lucrative market for themselves, and, in the process, setting the team up to fail. Thus, it will be those notoriously loyal, die-hard Raiders fans known as, err, Mexicans, who will get to enjoy the marquee game against the Patriots, and possibly use expressions like ‘betting games for football’ with their limited English. It’s a win/win/win situation. The league wins by showcasing their poster boys in a territory where it would like to branch out; said poster boys win because they get to train at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Spring, which is only about a 1,000 feet lower than Mexico City; and Raiders owner Mark Davis has already won (see above). Everybody wins! Well, except the Raiders, whose strategy for dealing with the altitude “is to get in and get out before their bodies take notice.” No, really. There is some good news, though; Oakland is 5-0 against the American football betting spread in the last five games following a bye week.
Silencio! No hay banda!
According to ESPN, Tom Brady loves to silence other teams’ fans on the road. Regardless of which team will feel more at home at Estadio Azteca, two facts remain; it is officially a Raiders home game, and it really makes little difference to the Pats either way. New England has won 12 straight road games, including Brady’s 86th career road win, a 41-16 SU and ATS win over the Broncos on Sunday. In addition to their road streak, the Pats have won 17 of their last 19 games played in the late afternoon. It’s safe to say that sizable chunk of those wins, whether on the road or late in the afternoon, is not attributable to the defense, though it has as matter improved by leaps and bounds as of late, keeping opposing teams to fewer than 20 points in the Patriots last five games, all of which have been wins, five outright and four against the spread, and in all but one of which the American football betting total has gone under.