As with every online football betting season, there’s one team that comes out of nowhere and puts on an incredible show, winning more games than any NFL sportsbook could have predicted. With unaccounted success comes unaccounted fans, colloquially referred to as the bandwagon. This season, two teams have shone bright above all others; the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders, giving NFC and AFC bandwagon fans a team to root for respectively. But of those two, the Raiders success is perhaps the more appalling. Sure the Cowboys’ success is utterly impressive due to the fact that their relying so much on two rookies, but Dallas’ success is not unprecedented, whereas the Raiders’ is.
Despite poor numbers on defense, Oakland hasn’t lost a game in 6 weeks. They’ve faced tough opposition each step of the way, but in every contest Derek Carr, one of the quarterbacks most likely to take home the MVP award at the end of the season, has found a way to lead the Black & Silver to a win. In Week 14 Oakland will have to face off against their AFC West rival, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are one game behind Oakland in the West and could really use a win over them this weekend. With the playoffs on the line, let’s see what the online football betting odds have to say about this contest.
NFL Odds – Week 14 – Thursday, December 8th
Oakland Raiders +3 (EV) 47 (-110)
Kansas City Chiefs -3 (-120) 47 (-110)
Notwithstanding their current win streak, the NFL betting lines still think that the Chiefs have a greater chance of winning this Sunday. Even though most fans would consider the Chiefs beating the Raiders an upset, since Oakland lost the first time these two met each other earlier in the season, the odds are relying on a similar outcome. But the first time these two met each other was more than 6 weeks ago, and even though Oakland ended up losing that game, they haven’t lost a contest since. Can they keep their momentum rolling this Thursday?
One of the most surprising things about the Raiders success is that they’ve been winning so many games despite looking so poor defensively on paper. But that applies double for the Chiefs. Kansas City has the 25th worst rushing offense, the 21st worst passing offense, and the 24th worst total offense. On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs rank as the 27th worst defense against the run, 23rd worst against the pass, and their total defense is the 28th worst. With those kind of numbers it’s incomprehensible how the Chiefs have amassed a 9-3 record. The Raiders have an amazing offense, but their defense is very similar to Kansas City’s. The online football betting odds think that the Chiefs will be able to thwart the Raiders’ win streak, but I would put my money on the team with an MVP candidate.
