These lines are from the Bovada sportsbook as of 11/20/2018, including the Raiders.
Record Last Week:
Rory: 6-6-1
Chris: 4-8-1
Record Year To Date:
Rory: 71-82-8
Chris: 74-79-8
CHI @ DET +4.5
Rory: Offensively the Bears are like the Chiefs, the gameplan is strict, the quarterback is not asked to do much, and as long as the play caller is hot the offense is hot. That said, the dropoff from Trubisky to the next guy is enough that 4.5 doesn’t scare me away from the Lions.
Chris: Detroit always seems to play teams tough, I think without Trubisky, that the Bears struggle.
WAS @ DAL -7.5
Rory: Without Alex Smith I can’t see how the Redskins keep this respectable. Offensively the Cowboys are seeing the benefits of having Amari Cooper who is causing defenses to roll coverage his way. The Cowboys should roll.
Chris: Dallas is on the rise! I think this is another one of those games where Amari Cooper has a big game. Cooper (as Raider fans are well accustomed to) is very sporadic with his statistical output and after a three catch performance, I think he gets at least 9 on Thanksgiving. But I think Washington covers here.
ATL @ NO -13.5
Rory: Drew Brees has this Saints offense absolutely rolling and the addition of Eli Apple has helped the Saints defensive secondary. This is going to be a bloodbath.
Chris: 13.5 is a lot to cover, however, when you are the Saints it really isn’t all that much. I do think this game is a shootout, but the Saints win by 17.
SEA @ CAR -3
Rory: If you want a receiver to hate in fantasy football roll with Devin Funchess. Luckily the Panthers have other weapons which one doesn’t need to hate.
Chris: One week the Panthers seemed to be a legit contender, then they got destroyed by the Steelers then lose by one to the Lions. I think with home field, this is a chance to get back on track.
NYG @ PHI -6
Rory: Chris is insane. A beat down like the Champs suffered last week should be a wake up call. I do think 6 points is a bit scary, but my faith in Eli is minimal at best. Eagles go ham.
Chris: Count me in the group of crazy people that agrees with OBJ that the Giants can run the table and sneak back in the divisional race. I’ll take the Giants here.
NE @ NYJ +10
Rory: This New England offense has definitely slowed down this season although Tom Brady has played well. Gronk’s lack of participation has definitely taken the whole group down a notch. Regardless, the Patriots covering is merely academic.
Chris: The Jets are not very good, I’m surprised the Pats are not favored by more.
SF @ TB -3.5
On The Ray-Dar: A Las Vegas Raiders Draft Wish List
Rory: As a Raider fan hoping the team does not get a top five pick, I am expecting the Buccaneers to bury the Niners at home.
Chris: Uhh? I guess I’ll take the Bucs? This is a game that really only matters for those who play fantasy football.
MIA @ IND -10
Rory: If you are a fan of nuance, then the Colt’s offense is a thing of beauty. The end of the Brock era in Miami is over and thus 10 points is a little more chalk than I can handle.
Chris: Look at the Colts! As a football fan, I’m just glad to see Andrew Luck being healthy enough to play football. Also, if you haven’t seen the parody Twitter account @CaptAndrewLuck, then you are missing out on some great tweets.
OAK @ BAL -11
Rory: What worries me about the Raven offense is not the passing game, but if the option continues to be successful, the young defenders will overcommit and lose track of the ball carrier. In the end I think the Raiders keep this close, and something tells me they may pull this one out.
Chris: I’m not exactly expecting the Raiders to win, but I think this one is closer than 11 points separating the two teams. I’m looking forward to seeing Johnny Holton play, and want to see him line up as a defensive back and wide receiver.
CLE @CIN -3
Rory: As long as AJ Green is on the sideline I cannot roll with the Bengals. These Brownies continue to not be Browns-like.
Chris: The Bengals have been sliding downward in recent weeks, I think that trend continues as Baker Mayfield adds another win to his resume and the Browns’ record.
JAC @ BUF +3
Rory: This game has sloppy but exciting cold weather football written all over it. That type of game fits the Jaguars.
Chris: This game is so bad that Chris was literally thoughtless. His eyes just rolled into the back of his head. He did choose the Bills though.
AZ @ LAC -12
Rory: The Chargers went full Chargers last week and it was glorious. That also means the Cardinals are next in the war path and 12 points seems low.
Chris: After losing a nail-biter to the Broncos last week, I think the Chargers take out their anger on the Cardinals.
PIT @ DEN +3
Rory: Three points at home in the thin air of Denver is usually pretty tempting. The performance by the Broncos last week makes me think we see a significant let down this time around. As usual the Steelers are finding their form and with the Lev Bell drama done they should get down to business.
Chris: The Steelers are starting to stand out as potential Super Bowl contender. They might be a half step behind the Chiefs at the moment, but they have plenty on their team to handle the Broncos this week.
GB @ MIN -3
Rory: At the top of the list of disappointing teams is the Vikings. It seems every time I want to trust them to cover a reasonable spread they screw it up and break my heart. I am hoping they do not screw up my post Thanksgiving Monday.
Chris: I feel so bad for Aaron Rodgers…his organization doesn’t seem to care to help him all that much by giving him solid weapons to use. Imagine how bad this team would be right now if they had Case Keenum, Josh McCown or Blake Bortles. No disrespect to those guys, but the only reason the Packers are even somewhat relevant is the greatness Rodgers brings. I think this game is close, but the Vikings win.