Despite going 9-7 for the second straight season and just coming up short of their second consecutive playoff berth last season, the Detroit Lions parted ways with former head coach Jim Caldwell in order to head in a new direction under former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
One year after winning just six games and taking a big step backwards from their double-digit winning campaign in 2016, the Las Vegas Raiders have turned to former head coach Jon Gruden to lead them back to glory in the near future. Now, as both teams get set for the upcoming 2018 regular season, they’ll each look to get their new era’s off to a positive start when they square off in their Week 1 preseason matchup. Now, let’s find out which team is offering the best NFL lines value.
Lions vs Raiders NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds
Catching up. 😄😆🤣#BroncosCamp pic.twitter.com/f6aG2k9uAl
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 2, 2018
When: Friday, August 10, 2018 at 10:30 PM ET Where: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California Live Stream: NFL Game Pass NFL Odds: Oakland -3 / Total: 36
Why Bet on the Detroit Lions?
Why should you bet on the Lions in their Week 1 preseason opener? The best reason to bet on the Lions is that they’ve got a very good backup quarterback in veteran Matt Cassel and a hungry third-stringer in Jake Rudock, not to mention the fact that they probably want to get the Matt Patricia era off to a good start. Cassel and Rudock will play the vast majority of this contest after starter Matthew Stafford plays one series at best (if that). Detroit’s younger players will likely want to go all-out to impress their new head coach -and Rudock would like nothing better than to surpass the aging Cassel on the team’s depth chart after falling behind the veteran following OTAs.
Why Bet on the Oakland Raiders?
Why should you bet on the Raiders in their scrimmage season opener? The best reasons to back the Raiders are that they’re playing at home and want to impress their own new head coach in the demanding Jon Gruden, plus they have an even better situation at backup quarterback with E.J. Manuel and Connor Cook taking the field after starter Derek Carr leaves. Manuel looked solid in Weeks 4 and 5 last season while taking over for an injured Carr and the presence of Cook gives him some reason to play at a high level.
Oakland also has a pair of excellent receivers on the depth chart behind starters Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson in veterans Martavis Bryant and Seth Roberts. Last but not least, Jon Gruden has compiled a blistering 30-16 mark in his career in preseason games, so clearly, he takes them more seriously than most coaches.
Lions vs Raiders Expert Analysis and NFL Betting Prediction
With Gruden taking this return debut contest seriously and the Raiders have the better set of backup quarterbacks, I think it’s a virtual lock that Oakland not only wins, but wins big. I know the Lions will want to impress Matt Patricia, but the Raiders and their superior backup players have a bit too much going for them right now!
NFL Preseason Week 1 Pick: Oakland Raiders -3
