Two teams coming off losses in week 7 are set to collide on Monday Night Football, as the Detroit Lions look to bounce back after an embarrassing loss last week, as they host the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders will have their QB1 back, with Jimmy Garoppolo set to return from a back injury.
Below, we will dissect the matchup, previewing how we think things will play out, and give out our Best Bet. Make sure you are following BeforeYouBet, as we will have dedicated Match Previews for all Prime-Time NFL games this season, as well as a preview of the main slate on Monday’s. All for free!
NFL Week 8 Preview & Betting Tips
Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions
Ford Field, Tuesday 31st October, 11:15am (AEDT)
Last Week
The Lions are coming off their biggest loss of the season last week, after being obliterated by the Ravens 38-6 in Baltimore. The Lions were never in the contest, as they went down 14-0 after just 12 minutes, before conceding a further 14 unanswered points in the second quarter, to be down 28-0 at halftime. The Lions conceded 503 total yards, at 9.1 yards per play, in a performance that showed that whilst the Lions are a much-improved team this season, they aren’t in that upper echelon of teams just yet.
As for the Raiders, they will be coming out of week 7 feeling even more embarrassed than the Lions, after being absolutely destroyed by undrafted rookie QB Tyson Bagent and the Chicago Bears, 30-12. The Raiders were horrible offensively, managing just 235 total yards at 3.9 yards per play, committing 3 turnovers, and completing only 22.2% on third down. Whilst they do get Garoppolo back this week, this offense continues to be one of the worst in football.
Injury Report
Detroit Lions
Nate Sudfield / Hendon Hooker (QB) – OUT
David Montgomery / Zonovan Knight (RB) – OUT
Justin Houston (OLB) – OUT
Emmanuel Moseley (CB) – OUT
Jonah Jackson (OG) – OUT
Frank Ragnow (C) – Doubtful
Josh Paschal (DE) – Questionable
Benito Jones (DL) – Questionable
Halapoulivaati Vaitai (OG) – Questionable
Malcolm Rodriguez (LB) – Questionable
Las Vegas Raiders
Britain Brown / Austin Walter (RB) – OUT
Darien Butler / Divine Deablo (LB) – OUT
Dalton Wagner (OT) – OUT
Roderic Teamer (SAF) – OUT
Daniel Carlson (K) – Questionable
Nate Hobbs (CB) – Questionable
Match Preview
The Lions and Raiders last met in 2019, with the Raiders winning in Oakland 31-24. Both teams have new quarterbacks and new Coaching staffs, so I lend no weight to this handicap on past results between these teams.
The lookahead had the Lions as 7.5-point favourites, before re-opening at the same price. The Lions have taken money, with the number at most books now settled at Lions -8. I make the Lions an 8-point favourite, so I don’t have any sort of number edge in this game. Despite this, I do see value in the Lions here. The Lions are ranked 5th in total DVOA, whilst the Raiders rank 30th in the league. The big advantage for the Lions is on the offensive side of the ball, where they are ranked 6th in offensive DVOA, going up against the 8th worst defence by DVOA. The Lions should be good enough to score against the Raiders, and I’m just not sure the Raiders can match them.
As for the total, the lookahead sat at 44.5, before re-opening at 45. It has since been bet up to 46, and whilst I can see the reason behind the move, totals are stumping me this season. The Lions team total is around the 27.5 mark, and after a sluggish game on offense last week, I don’t mind the Lions to go over this total. My concern is the slow games that seem to follow the Raiders around, with the Raiders the 6th slowest team in the NFL, based on plays run per game. With the Lions in the middle of the league in this category when playing at home, there’s a good chance the Raiders can slow this game right down, causing the totals to once again go under.
Detroit Lions -7.5
$2 (1.5 Units)
