Los Angeles Rams vs Oakland Raiders NFL Odds, Betting Preview 9/10/18

National Football League action on Monday evening and we will see the Los Angeles Rams travel to the Oakland Coliseum to battle it out with the Oakland Raiders. The Rams won the NFC West last year with an 11-5 record, while the Raiders sputtered to a 6-10 mark. These teams last met back in 2014 and the Rams won that game at home by a score of 52-0. The Raiders may have revenge on their minds for this one.        

Lines:  LA Rams -4… Over/Under 47.5

A Look At The Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are one that many feel has a good shot at reaching the Super Bowl this year. They are a team that is loaded on both sides of the ball and this will be a good test for them. They lead the league in scoring last year and while they did lose WRs Tavon Austin and Sammy Watkins they did bring in Brandin Cooks and still have Cooper Kupp who lead the team in receiving last year and Robert Woods, who was 3rd on the team. Jared Goff had a great season as he threw for 3804 yards and 28 TDs while tossing just seven INTs. He could very well top those numbers this year.

Helping out Goff is running back Todd Gurley, who rumbled for 1305 yards and 13 TDs last year. He also had 788 yards and six TDs receiving. He may be the best all-around back in the league. That could pose a problem for the Raiders, who no longer have Khalil Mack. Let’s not forget about the defense of the Rams as they were solid last year and have added DL Ndamukong Suh and DB’s Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. They could be a top five defensive team this year and that defense will be tested by a good Raiders offense. The one concern for the Rams could be how much rust will there be as their starters played very little in the preseason.       

A Look At The Raiders

The Raiders went 12-4 back in 2016 and won the AFC West, but last year they dipped to just 6-10, and that was the end of Jack Del Rio. In steps Jon Gruden, who spent four years here from 1998-2001 and took them to the postseason in his final two seasons. The Raiders have been to the postseason just twice since he left. He is an offensive guru and should have his team improve on the 18.8 ppg they put up in 2017. Derek Carr is a solid quarterback, and he has big-time weapons in Amari Cooper, and Jordy Nelson. The ground game got a boost with the addition of Doug Martin. he will go along with Marshawn Lynch and an emerging Chris Warren.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Raiders were 23rd in the league in yards allowed and 20th in points, (23.3 ppg). They did take a hit on this side of the ball as they lost Khalil Mack, who was traded to the Bears a couple of weeks ago. They still have Aaron Donald, but Mack had 40.5 sacks in his four years with the team. That’s tough to replace. The secondary will be one of the best in the league, especially with the addition of Marcus Gilchrist, Daryl Worley, and Nick Nelson. They were 26th in the league against the pass but should be much improved this time around. The defense will be called upon to slow down an LA offense that led the league in scoring last year. If they slow them down, then they can win.  

Trends

Los Angeles is:

5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games

16-37-1 ATS in their last 54 games in September.

4-13 ATS in their last 17 games in Week 1.

The Over is 7-1 in their last 8 road games.

The Over is 5-1 in their last 6 games overall

Oakland is:

6-2 ATS in their last 8 games in September.

3-9-2 ATS in their last 14 games overall.

1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games on grass.

The Under is 4-0 in their last 4 home games.

The Under is 7-0 in their last 7 games overall