The Raiders may be relatively new to Las Vegas, having begun playing there in 2020, but the team comes with a pedigree of winning. They appeared in five Super Bowls while being known as the Oakland Raiders and LA Raiders.
But you’d never know it from the franchise’s performance last season, with the Raiders finishing the campaign with a miserable 6-11 record. Considering that, no doubt, 888sport has the Raiders’ Super Bowl LVIII victory chances at 40-1.
Outright Winner - Las Vegas Raiders
It’s a serious longshot for the team to have home-field advantage when the championship game gets played at Las Vegas’s 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 – especially with front-running Kansas City Chiefs sitting pretty at 6-1 in the NFL betting odds.
But longshot lovers, who may count themselves as members of Raider Nation, could do worse than putting a few bucks on the team to ace it all.
That said, more conservative gamblers might want to wait a season or two for a wager on the Raiders taking the Vince Lombardi Trophy. As is made evident in Raiders’ news, the coming season promises to be a transitional one for Las Vegas.
On the upside, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who was hampered by a foot injury last season, is looking good for this one – in terms of health and play.
The QB, who was snagged by the Raiders with a $72.5 million contract, has plenty of naysayers, despite his 40-17 starting record. But, as Garoppolo told Fox News, he’s making the best of the negativity: “If you don’t got anyone hating you, you’re not doing anything … Those people hate on you and it pushes you a little bit more.”
Star running back Josh Jacobs caused stress on Raiders management by holding out on signing a contract for this season.
During the latter part of August, however, he inked a year-long deal and hopes to make up for lost training-time so that he is rough and ready for the first official season game against the Denver Broncos on September 10.
It’s a good thing, too, as Jacobs’ stats show him front-lining the NFL in rushing last season, with 1,653 yards. He insisted to ESPN that there are “no hard feelings now.”
Besides having a strong compadre to hand the ball off to, Garoppolo has a sure-handed receiver in six-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams along with Jakobi Meyers who had been the New England Patriots’ leading receiver.
While the pair could be a great asset, rumors have swirled that Adams might want to get traded during this season or the next one. People close to Adams have denied this.
Whatever the case, Meyers insisted to Sports Illustrated that nobody is holding back. “Everybody’s diving in, trying to be the best, competing with them, competing with ourselves.”
Oddsmakers at 888sport put the season-opener’s money line at 31/20 for anyone looking to pony up on the Raiders vs. the Broncos.
Money Line - Las Vegas Raiders
And the rest of the season looks tough for the team, with games against the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers. Nevertheless, experts seem to believe that the Raiders will show at least little bit better than they did last season.
On the upside, if you happen to be in Vegas for a Raiders game and lose money by betting the home team, you can always enjoy the facilities at Mandalay Bay. The casino is just a 15-minute walk from Allegiant Stadium.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
