Las Vegas Raiders vs New England Patriots

Bill Belichick's coaching has come into question for the first time, but it's actually his job as general manager that appears to be the problem as the Patriots seem devoid of talent after getting humiliated two weeks in a row, including 34-0 by New Orleans last week. However, the Patriots do have an opportunity this week against Las Vegas, which is playing on a short week and has had troubles of its own this season even though it did pull out a 17-13 win over equally inept Green Bay on Monday night. The Raiders were outgained 285-279 and Jimmy Garoppolo returned and was 22 of 31 for 208 yards with an interception. New England is last in the league with 11.0 points per game, but Las Vegas isn't much better at 15.8 points for #29. The Raiders are 4-1 UNDER this season and New England has stayed UNDER four consecutive games. The Raiders are 3-14-1 ATS against teams with losing records and 25-52-1 ATS as favorites. The Patriots are 13-3 ATS following a double-digit home loss. New England is 16-5 UNDER after scoring fewer than 15 points its previous game. Play the Patriots and the UNDER.

New England has a winning record for the season as well as on the road. What's clear about this offense is that they struggle against decent defenses but roll it up on suspect defenses. That's because young QB Mac Jones is very accurate as a passer and decision-maker while the coaching staff is great while exploiting mismatches. The Patriots just ended their two-game skid with a 27-13 win against an Arizona defense that is 20th in yards allowed, 27th on third down, 29th in passing yards allowed (254.5 pg), and dead-last (26.8 ppg) in points given up. Now they face a Las Vegas defense that is 24th in yards surrendered, 23rd in points allowed, and 26th on third down. The Patriots are 64-49 ATS when the line is +3 to -3, plus 52-40 ATS in December games. New England has the far better defense ranked sixth in yards allowed, fifth in points, and Top 10 versus the pass. The Patriots are 72-48 ATS against defenses that allow 350+ yards per game, plus 55-30 ATS against offenses that average 6+ yards per play. Play New England.

These teams have had joint practice sessions this week that will culminate with a preseason game against each other. New England has been giving a lot of snaps to rookie Bailey Zappe, who was 16 of 25 for 173 yards last week against Carolina, although he did throw an interception that was returned 50 yards for a touchdown. Brian Hoyer completed two of three passes for 30 yards, and those two QBs will likely see all the action in this game with Mac Jones sitting it out. The Patriots have split their first two games, but they are 2-0 ATS, and Bill Belichick is 60-46 straight up and 54-45-7 ATS in preseason. Las Vegas has won its first three games, but coach Josh McDaniels still is sorting out his options for the offensive line as he continues to shuffle players in and out, and that will be his main priority in this game. Jarrett Stidham was seven of 10 for 80 yards, and Chase Garbers six of nine for 54 yards while Nick Mullens completed six of nine for 39 yards against Miami last week as the Raiders didn't do much offensively, and all three will probably play again against the Patriots, who have the motivational edge as they try to get their running game going after James White recently retired. Take the Patriots as a Max Play.

Las Vegas overcame two early 10-point deficits and scored 24 consecutive points in winning the first NFL game played in the "Sin City" 34-24 over the Saints. The Raiders had injuries on the offensive line, but Derek Carr was able to overcome that, completing 28 of 38 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns while completely outplaying his counterpart Drew Brees. New Orleans outgained the Raiders 424-375, but Las Vegas was able to make the big plays when it counted and dominated time of possession 36:18 to 23:42. New England suffered a tough loss at Seattle 35-30, as Cam Newton was stopped near the goal line on the final play. Now the Patriots have to fly coast-to-coast for their next game and they rushed for only 67 yards against the Seahawks, 47 of those coming from Newton. The Raiders have covered five of their last seven September games and New England is 2-6-1 ATS its last nine games dating to last season. The Pats are also 1-4-1 ATS as a home favorite. Jon Gruden is one of the few coaches, who has the pedigree to compete with Bill Belichick, and this game will go to the wire. Take the points with the Raiders.

Old rivals the Patriots and Raiders head to Mexico City. New England still has ugly defensive numbers in terms of yards allowed, but this defense has improved immensely since getting gouged in September. Coach Bill Belichick simplified things to improve on coverage breakdowns and they've slowly added new wrinkles and responsibilities. All of it has worked, allowing 14, 17, 7, 13 and 16 points the last five games. The coverage breakdowns have been limited and the red zone defense has been great. The Patriots are on a 4-1 run UNDER the total, as well as 9-2 UNDER on natural grass. They take on an Oakland team that has been a big disappointment on offense at #22 in total yards, #27 in rushing with just 87.6 yards per game on the ground. In its last four road games the Raiders have scored 10, 10, 14 and 27 points, and this is their third straight game away from home. Coach Jack Del Rio is 13-4 UNDER the total after having lost five or six out of his last seven games. Road teams like the Patriots with a winning percentage of 75% or better are 25-4 UNDER the total after having won four or five out of their last six contests, when playing a losing team. Back New England and take the UNDER.