Many people scoff at betting NFL preseason games. After all, the games usually feature reserves and players trying to make the team while starters saunter along the sidelines with thumbs in their jersey collars.
But sometimes there can be an edge in the games once referred to as exhibition games.
Such is the case when the Dallas Cowboys meet the Las Vegas Raiders on the Bermuda grass of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The Raiders will showcase two quarterbacks, Aiden O’Connell and Gardner Minshew, who are vying for the starting position, in the first half. The Cowboys, who didn’t score a touchdown in their preseason opener vs. the Los Angeles Rams, will feature a heavy dose of Trey Lance and perhaps a few spot appearances of Cooper Rush as signal caller. Regular season quarterback Dak Prescott, bothered by a sore ankle, won’t touch the football.
Head coach Anthony Pierce indicated Raiders veterans will also see playing time
“If you’re healthy, you’ll play,” Pierce said mid-week.
Cowboys veterans status for the game is much more uncertain.
There is also an emotional element to the game. The Raiders are honoring Hall of Famer Jim Otto, who started 210 straight games as a center for the team.
As the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported, the family of Otto will light the Al Davis Memorial Torch before the game. Otto, who died in May, starred for the Raiders from 1960-‘74 when the team played in Oakland.
Add the starters vs. unknowns, mix in the battle for a starting QB position and add the emotional element of honoring a longtime Raider star, and there is an edge to the silver and black for this game.
That is undoubtedly why the Raiders have been established as 6.5-point favorites for this game. It’s the second-biggest spread among the 13 games on the NFLX schedule for Saturday. (The Chiefs are -9 vs. the Detroit Lions.)
Betting analysts for USA TODAY and Sports Betting Dime both predicted a Raiders win and cover by the score of 24-10 for the game.
While we’re not going to augur an actual score, we see the Raiders jumping out to a first-half advantage and holding on for a win and cover. Betting any game preseason or otherwise comes with risk, but we’ll go with the flow and predict the Raiders will cover the inflated preseason number.
If you plan to watch the game, don’t count on CBS or FOX Sports. It will be carried only on the NFL Network.
