Are the Raiders a safe bet in Week 15?

2016 NFL Tennessee at Oakland Expert Predictions

Written by on August 24, 2016

Football season is right around the corner, but until it arrives, we still have a couple of weeks of preseason to look forward to. Week 3 of the preseason schedule is perhaps the most pivotal of all, as it’s usually the last chance for the fringe guys to show what they can bring to the team. The starters will get pushed a little harder and longer this week, giving those guys on the outside little time to make the sort of impact that will have them setting up their lockers instead of cleaning them out. One of the teams that everyone has been keeping an eye on since training camp opened are the Oakland Raiders. This is a team that started to show some signs of life last year, and who are expected to make a big step forward this season. It’s a lot of pressure, and these preseason games are a good chance for them to get in a little bit of a groove. They will take on the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night on home field.

In Depth Analysis On The 2016 NFL Titans at Raiders Expert Predictions

When: Saturday, August 27 at 8 PM EST Where: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland TV: CBS Radio: SiriusXM NFL Radio Live Stream: CBS Sports Network Live NFL Odds: Raiders -3  
 

Why bet on the Oakland Raiders

There has always been a rabid fan base in Oakland Raiders, and they have shown up in droves for as long as this team has been awful, which is quite some time. You can only imagine how crazy things will get out West if the Raiders can live up to all the preseason hype. They are going to lean heavily on Derek Carr and Amari Cooper this coming season, but these preseason games are a good opportunity to see what else they have besides those two big names. Both games played by the Raiders so far have been on the road, and they have a win in Arizona, and a tight defeat in Green Bay, which is not a bad return at all.

Why bet on the Tennessee Titans

Much like the Raiders, it appears as though the Titans have finally found themselves a franchise QB. Yes, Marcus Mariotta is good, but he does not yet have the pieces around him that will help take this team to the next level. I expect that the Titans will improve some over last season, but we are still looking at a team that is probably not going to be in the playoffs. They have managed to put together a 1-1 record in the postseason so far, though, hitting a very nice 27-10 win over the Chargers in Week 2. I think they are going to be in for a tougher night with this one, though, as the Raiders are a team that suddenly looks hungry.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I just don’t see any way that the Raiders lose their first home game of the year, preseason or not. They are going to want to put on a show for their fans, and I think they will win quite comfortably here.

Oakland Raiders 30 Tennessee Titans 10