MNF Raiders vs. Lions Week 8 odds and predictions
Every week, VSiN will be doing an in-depth dive on the week’s Monday Night Football game. In Week 8, that game features the Detroit Lions hosting the Las Vegas Raiders at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The Raiders are coming off a bad loss to the Chicago Bears, but they’re getting their starting quarterback this week. Meanwhile, the Lions got whooped by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7. So, they’ll be looking to bounce back here. With that out of the way, keep reading for our Raiders vs. Lions preview, picks and player props.
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How To Watch Raiders vs. Lions
Date: Monday, October 30
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Raiders vs. Lions Spread
The Raiders defense has been something of a nightmare this season, with the team being 25th in Defensive DVOA. However, the Raiders have only lost two games by more than a touchdown this season, and one of those games was last week’s 30-12 loss with Brian Hoyer under center. Fortunately, it sounds like Jimmy Garoppolo will be back out there for the Raiders here, and that means that the Raiders can fully execute their offense. And that offense has a lot to do with Las Vegas keeping games close and not letting up a ton of points. The Raiders like to pound away with Josh Jacobs, even though the running back has been rather inefficient this year.
Considering we know Las Vegas wants to try and control the clock, it’s hard not to like the Raiders to lose by a touchdown or less. Even if the Lions do end up having a ton of success offensively, which is always a possibility with Ben Johnson calling the plays, I do think the Raiders will be able to move the ball in this game. Whether that’s by finding a way to finally get Jacobs going, or just by Garoppolo doing a good job of spreading it around to Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and tight end Michael Mayer, it feels like Detroit’s defense has been exposed a bit in recent weeks.
It’s also worth noting that the Raiders have been good for bettors in the underdog role under Josh McDaniels. They’re 5-4 against the spread as underdogs over the last two years. They’re also 7-5 ATS when playing in dome games in that span. And perhaps most impressively, they’re 4-3 straight-up and 6-1 ATS when playing against teams with winning records over the last two years.
Raiders vs. Lions Total
The Lions only put up six points in last week’s blowout loss to the Ravens, but I find it hard to believe this team will be kept down for long. Detroit is still sixth in the league in Offensive DVOA and ninth in EPA per play, and those numbers are deflated a bit because last week changed everything so much. But this is an elite offensive team and should get right back to moving the ball. The Lions have a team total of 27.5 in this game. And if that Over hits, or even comes close, it’s hard to imagine the game going Under.
It’s also worth noting that in the previously mentioned seven games the Raiders played against winning teams over the last two seasons, the Over hit in five of those games. So, Las Vegas’ matchups with good teams tend to be higher scoring. And that means the Raiders are holding up their end of the bargain.
Raiders vs. Lions Player Props
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Jakobi Meyers Over 61.5 Receiving Yards
I thought about playing the Over on Davante Adams, but the Lions have actually given up more receiving yards per game to opposing WR2s than they have to WR1s (per FTN). So, they might get caught over-scheming to try and take Adams out of this, which would then give Meyers some room to operate. He has been a favorite of Garoppolo’s this season, drawing 10 or more targets in three of the four games that he has played with the quarterback. Meyers also had at least 75 receiving yards in three of those games, and the one he didn’t was a 61-yard performance. That’s not too far off this number. So, I think Meyers is a great bet to finish with at least 62 yards, especially with this being a game in which the Raiders might be throwing a lot.
Raiders vs. Lions Prediction
The Raiders haven’t quite put it together this season, but they do play a game that should make it hard for them to get blown out. In fact, Las Vegas has lost by less than eight points in four of the five games that Garoppolo has played. And the team is 3-2 straight-up with the quarterback, in general. So, while I do like Detroit to win this game, I can see it being another one-score primetime game.
Lean: Raiders +8.5
Head to our Pro Picks page to see how VSiN analysts are betting Raiders vs. Lions!
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