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Sharp bettor backs side before line moves on Raiders-Eagles game
LV REVIEW JOURNAL SUBSCRIPTIONA sharp bettor at the Westgate SuperBook wagered on the Raiders as 12½-point underdogs to the Eagles before Philadelphia’s ugly 22-19 overtime loss to the Chargers on “Monday Night Football.”
“Maybe the Raiders will be down 13 and Pete Carroll will kick a field goal to cover,” SuperBook vice president of risk Ed Salmons said. “Who knows?”
The Raiders kicked a field goal as time expired Sunday to cover as 8-point home underdogs in a 24-17 loss to the Broncos.
The line dropped to as low as 10½ on Sunday’s game at Philadelphia after the Eagles lost and failed to cover for the third straight game before moving back up to 11½ and as high as 12 at BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook.
The betting public is all over Philadelphia, with 76 percent of the spread bets at STN Sports on the Eagles (8-5, 7-6 against the spread). Former Philadelphia quarterback Kenny Pickett is expected to make his first start for the Raiders in place of injured starter Geno Smith.
“There was a little downward push in the line when it was announced Smith was out,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “But since that time it’s been extremely one-sided in favor of the Eagles. We will be huge Raiders fans from our side of the counter.”
Boomer’s Sportsbook director of trading Nick Bogdanovich rates Pickett about the same as Smith.
“I don’t think there’s too much of a drop-off between him and Pickett at this stage,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s an upgrade, but it certainly isn’t much one way or another.
“I would imagine the public will be all over the Eagles. I would assume we’ll need the Raiders. Unless the sharps really pound the Raiders, we’ll definitely need them.”
The Raiders have lost seven straight games and 11 of 12 but are on a 4-4 run against the spread.
“You watch the Eagles and it’s hard for them to win by a lot of points,” Salmons said. “We’ll probably need the Raiders to win straight up because they’ll money line parlay the Eagles to death and tease them.”
How low can you go?
The total is the lowest on the NFL Week 15 betting board at 38½.“For a spread that high, the total is as low as you can be,” Salmons said.
At STN Sports, 80 percent of the bets are on the over, despite the fact that the weather forecast calls for temperatures in the low 30s with potential snow and wind gusts up to 25 mph.
The Raiders are the league’s lowest-scoring team at 15.1 points per game and the Eagles are on a 5-0 under run.
“I think the low total is more pointed to the Raiders’ incompetence on offense,” Salmons said. “But it’s sports. Who thought the Raiders would beat the Patriots now looking back.”
The Raiders (2-11, 5-8 ATS) upset the Patriots 20-13 as 2½-point underdogs at New England in their season opener before losing and failing to cover four straight.
Props
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is -124 at Caesars to score a touchdown and Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley is -115 to score a touchdown.Hurts is -162 to throw under 1½ touchdown passes and -173 to not throw an interception after throwing a career-high four picks in Monday’s loss.
Pickett is -138 to throw a touchdown pass and -154 to throw an interception.
