Forget the crowd of 50,101.
Forget the traffic and the parking.
Forget the concern over masks.
There was something else: The betting line on the Las Vegas Raiders in their inaugural preseason game vs. the Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium jumped from -1 to -2.5, a fairly significant move in a game that will have nothing to do with whether or not the Silver and Black make the playoffs.
Was that sharps, squares, rabid fans — or a motley brew of all of the above? Regardless, they were right.
Take-it-to-the-bank right.
See-you-at-the-betting-counter-to-cash-a-ticket right.
The Raiders, behind third-string quarterback Nathan Peterman, scored in the first quarter, added six points in the second quarter and tacked on a meaningless touchdown in the fourth quarter of the meaningless game to win and secure a meaningful cover for bettors, 20-7, on Saturday.
“That was fun after what really feels like almost two years of not playing,” the 6-foot-2 Peterman told reporters.
The final score never seriously threatened the total of 36.5, bet down from 37.5.
In fact, playing under the total during Preseason Week 1 generously rewarded bettors across the board. Some 13 of the 16 games, including the 12-7 nail-biter that saw the New York Jets beat the New York Giants, went under the total.
There was one other notable line move in Preseason Week 1. The Baltimore Ravens went from -2.5 to -1 in their game vs. the New Orleans Saints as bettors anticipated strong performances from Saints quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Tayson Hill, who are vying to succeed Drew Brees. The Ravens won, 17-14, for their 18th straight preseason victory. The last time the Ravens lost a preseason game, Barack Obama was president.
Next up for the Raiders — a road trip to play the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Saturday. No betting line as of this post.
Elsewhere:
— Back in action: The Las Vegas Aces were back in action after the Olympic break and 11.5-point favorites hosting the Washington Mystics on Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
But they trailed 50-35 at halftime and needed a furious fourth-quarter rally and a jumper from Chelsea Gray in the waning seconds just to win, 84-83. The total slid under 174.
“I believe I’m getting too old for a game like this one,” coach Bill Laimbeer, 64, told reporters after the game. “We did something that we normally don’t do, and that’s make a wild stand and a wild comeback.”
The two teams meet again Tuesday. Expect a similar line.
The Aces are favored at +220 to win the WNBA title, according to Vegas Insider. Right behind them are the Seattle Storm at +250.
— Laugher of the week: The Boston Red Sox exploded for 20 runs on 19 hits to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays, 20-8, on Wednesday. If you played over 10.5, you had a cover by 17.5 runs — and got to enjoy a game in which the total went over in the bottom of the fifth inning.
— Worst tout of the week? An analyst at Covers.com touted the Chicago Cubs vs. the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday as one of the “free” picks. The analyst reasoned that the Cubs, as riddled as they are by trades, weren’t that bad and would rebound from a 10-0 shellacking a day earlier. Not bad logic, but definitely a bad result. The Brewers carpet-bombed the Cubs again, 17-4. The Cubs, in fact, went on to lose three straight to the Florida Marlins over the weekend.
