Oakland Raiders (0-2, 1-1 ATS) @ New England Patriots (1-1, 1-1 ATS)
*ATS= against the spread
BETDAQ Line: New England -13.5 (47)
Significant Injuries
Oakland: RB Maurice Jones-Drew (questionable– hand), OT Matt McCants (questionable– knee), LB Nick Roach (questionable– concussion), CB Carlos Rogers (questionable– knee), DT Antonio Smith (questionable– back), WR Rod Streater (questionable– hip), LB Sio Moore (out– ankle)
New England: LB Jamie Collins (questionable– thigh), CB Alfonzo Dennard (questionable– shoulder), S Don Jones (questionable– hamstring), RB Shane Vereen (questionable– shoulder), C Ryan Wendell (questionable– knee)
Recent Trends
Oakland is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a loss
Oakland is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games vs. AFC opponents
New England is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 home games
The favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between these 2 teams
The UNDER is 6-0 in Oakland’s last 6 games following a double-digit home loss
The OVER is 7-3-1 in Oakland’s last 11 games overall
The OVER is 19-7 in New England’s last 26 games vs. a team with a losing record
Three reasons to back Oakland
1. Uhhh… that’s a lot of points. Many people will back a two-touchdown underdog in the NFL simply on principle, and in this case that may not be a bad idea, especially since the Patriots proved their worth in a Week 1 blowout loss to Miami.
2. Rookie quarterback Derek Carr is off to a good start to his NFL career, as he’s played well in both of Oakland’s games this season. On Sunday he’ll face a generous New England defense that was torched by Ryan Tannehill in Week 1.
3. Uhhh… did I mention that we’re talking about a lot of points here?
Three reasons to back New England
1. The Patriots beat Minnesota 30-7 last week and looked like an elite team in doing so. Their opponent on Sunday, Oakland, just lost 30-14 to a Houston team that had the NFL’s worst record in 2013.
2. The Raiders are an absolute mess. They rank 31st in total offense and their defense, which isn’t much better, will be down several starters due to injury this week. They start a rookie quarterback and have surrounded him with a terrible offensive line and limited skill-position talent. It’s a disaster.
3. Not only are the Patriots the superior team on both sides of the ball, they’re also playing at home, where they’re 7-1 against the number in their last 8 games. They’ll be able to name the score in this one, and it’s a safe bet that the score they “name” will be significantly more lopsided than 13.5 points.
Prediction
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