Welcome back for our final Gamble Ramble of the season! Last week, we almost went perfect, but the Las Vegas Raiders just couldn’t quite pull off the upset. Hopefully we can finish off the year by winning some big money. Here are three great bets for the Raiders’ season finale tilt with the Kansas City Chiefs.
All lines come via Draft Kings as of Friday afternoon.
Smartest Bet: Raiders +9 (-110)
Once again, we are going to take the Raiders to keep the game within a score. They looked pretty good against the 49ers in Jarrett Stidham’s debut. Also, Las Vegas has a lot more on the line in this one than people think. Guys like Stidham, Josh Jacobs, and Foster Moreau are all playing for new contracts. While he will be back next year, Josh McDaniels has a lot riding on this game as well. He needs to prove that Derek Carr was the problem, not him. Finally, the division rivalry is always a great motivator and usually keeps games somewhat close.
Outside of the rivalry, the Chiefs don’t have that much to play for. A win does get Kansas City a bye in the first round, but they are still not guaranteed home field advantage. While that may be enough motivation to treat this like a regular game and not sleepwalk, there is nothing dire about the Chiefs’ situation.
McDaniels is likely to eat the clock with Josh Jacobs and shorten the game. On the other side of the ball, Maxx Crosby will be disruptive enough to keep the Raiders in the game. Given how they looked last week, the Silver and Black should not be getting nine points against anyone.
Safest Bet: Travis Kelce to Score a Touchdown (-155)
I am shocked that anyone is even taking bets on this. Earlier this year, Kelce singlehandedly annihilated the Raiders to the tune of four touchdowns. They simply could not cover him. Since that meeting, the Raiders have not added anyone new that will be capable of locking him down. He will get into the end zone at least once. It is a lock. This is free money. Honestly, him scoring two or more touchdowns (+340) is probably a safe bet as well.
Best Risky Bet: Travis Kelce to Score the First Touchdown (+550)
These odds are shockingly long given how much Kelce owns the Raiders. The biggest threat to this bet’s success is the coin toss. As long as the Chiefs start with the ball, Kelce will probably score. The Raiders defense let Brock Purdy move the ball at will last week. Chances are that Patrick Mahomes will do the same. As soon as they get to the red zone, he will find Kelce for the score. Given the odds, this could be a really savvy bet.
*Top Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
