The Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Rams will play in the second week of the NFL preseason on Saturday. It's time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Raiders-Rams prediction and pick.
The Raiders had a great first week of preseason. They beat the Seattle Seahawks by two touchdowns while only allowing 134 passing yards throughout the entire game. The Rams didn't quite have the same success, as they fell to their crosstown rival Los Angeles Chargers by one touchdown. Neither of these teams have shown much regard for the preseason, shown by the lack of starters in the first week of action. Expect more of the same here as both coaching staffs use this as an opportunity to discover players who can fill depth and special teams roles.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the lines for Saturday's game.
NFL Odds: Raiders-Rams Odds
Las Vegas Raiders -6 1/2 (-110)
Los Angeles Rams +6 1/2 (-110)
Over 35 points (-110)
Under 35 points (-110)
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Why The Raiders Could Win
The Raiders came away with a win in unusual fashion last week, as they leaned on their defense to get things done. That has almost never been the case under Jon Gruden's Raiders and it will certainly change when the regular season starts, but it should continue in week two of the preseason. Only one Seattle quarterback managed to surpass 50 yards passing, and the Seahawks' running backs only rushed for 43 yards combined. Las Vegas has shown that their defensive depth is strong enough to win in the preseason, and the Rams are coming off of a performance where they put up six points. It's unreasonable to expect a repeat performance of last week, but Vegas shouldn't give up much to the Rams in this game.
The Raiders also showed that their bruising run game carries over to from the regular season to the preseason. Undrafted free agent running back Trey Ragas played great football, dealing out hits as he ran and earning himself 4.8 yards per carry. Fellow undrafted runner BJ Emmons played similarly well, carrying the ball nine times for 45 yards and a score. The run game is far less volatile than the pass game in the preseason, so that success should carry over into this game.
Why The Rams Could Win
Despite the lack of every single starter in the first preseason game, the Rams managed to keep things close with the Chargers. The defense in particular played a huge role in keeping that game within one score until the very end. Linemen Eric Banks and Jonah Williams each came away with a sack in that contest, contributing to a defensive effort that saw the Rams bending but not breaking throughout the game. It's hard to say if Los Angeles will put together a similar performance, but they've shown they're capable of that level of play already. A repeat performance is far from out of the question.
The Rams also got decent play from their quarterbacks in week one. Devlin Hodges and Bryce Perkins were both efficient with the football, with the only major misstep being Hodges' interception. Assuming Hodges is able to take care of the ball, Los Angeles should get reliable, under-control play from their signal-callers. That's usually enough to win a game in the preseason.
Final Raiders-Rams Prediction & Pick
While the Rams should upgrade their play from their week one performance, the Raiders have too many advantages in this one. Las Vegas should continue to deploy their power running game, which is a much more consistent form of offense than relying on Devlin Hodges. The Raiders should take this game easily.
FINAL PICK: Las Vegas Raiders -6 1/2 (-110)
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