Have you ever heard the term ugly dogs when it comes to NFL betting? It refers to those teams like the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams who get points every week. Every once in a while two of the ugly dogs meet and that is the case this week in NFL odds as the Raiders host the Rams.
Oakland is a 3.5 point favorite at Sbgglobal and the total on the game is 37.5. Both teams started the season with losses last week but at least the Rams were competitive. The Raiders were simply awful. Oakland has lost five straight home openers and will try to avoid making is six straight as they host the Rams. St. Louis will be trying to break a nine-game losing streak overall.
More of the Same for Oakland – It seems every season people say that the Raiders will be improved but it was another pathetic effort last week in a 38-13 loss to Tennessee. When will people come around to the fact that the Raiders are not going to win consistently with Al Davis as their owner? The team brought in a new quarterback this season in Jason Campbell and he did nothing last week at Tennessee. He was sacked four times and also threw an interception.
Rotten Home Team – The Raiders are favored in this game against the NFL odds simply because they are playing the Rams but how confident can you be in the Raiders who are 17-39 at home the last seven years. They have not won a home opener since 2004.
Hope for the Rams – Yes, the Rams lost again last week but at least they were not terrible. Quarterback Sam Bradford is a rookie but he showed potential against Arizona. He threw for 253 yards and a TD last week but he also threw three interceptions. The Rams have lost 12 straight games against AFC teams going back to 2006 when they beat the Raiders.
Bad Trends for Both Teams – It doesn’t take much to see that both teams have rotten numbers against the NFL betting line. The Rams are 15-33-3 ATS in their last 51 games in September. The Rams are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Raiders are 17-38-1 ATS in their last 56 home games. Perhaps you can take a look at the total. The Under is 6-2 in the Rams last 8 road games.