Las Vegas Raiders (2-6) at Denver Broncos (7-2)

The Raiders lost last week when they went for two at the end of overtime against the Jaguars, instead of tying it up with an extra point. It was the right decision, despite the outcome, as it is much better for team morale to play for a win rather than for a tie. However, the Raiders actually should have gone for two on their last touchdown drive of the fourth quarter. Even if the result had been the same, that would have prevented them from having to play overtime at all, which is important because they had Thursday Night Football next on the schedule.

Now coming off of an overtime game, the Raiders are in a near impossible situation on a short week. Teams are just 6-25 ATS all-time on Thursday Night Football after an overtime game. As underdogs of a touchdown or more, teams are 1-7 ATS and 0-8 straight up, losing by an average of 16.4 points per game on an average line of +9.4. Making matters worse, this is the Raiders’ second game in five days following a bye, a spot in which teams are 11-23 ATS all-time, as long as their opponent is not in the same situation. This isn’t a big bet on the Broncos as 8.5-point home favorites because we aren’t getting any line value (my calculated line is Denver -7.5), but this spot is good enough to bet on that alone. I have a hard time seeing the Raiders keeping this one close, given the situation they are in.

Early Locked Bets: WAS +8.5, IND -6.5, NYG +4.5, LAC -2.5

On a personal note, a member of the NFL picks community, Gerry Shultz, is having a hard time and needs some support. Here is a link to his GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-gerrys-parkinsons-and-lewy-body-dementia-care Any support is appreciated!

Denver Broncos 26 Las Vegas Raiders 13

Pick against the spread: Denver -8.5

Confidence: Medium