There was a stretch this season in which the Raiders weren’t favored for any games. Basically, it started in week two against the Chiefs and went through their 5-game road stint to Minnesota, Indianapolis, London (Bears), Green Bay, and Houston. They would win two of those five and currently sit at 5-4 on the season.
Coming off two-straight wins against the Lions and Chargers, the Raiders are now 3-1 at home and are getting some respect from oddsmakers. They welcome the winless (0-9) Bengals to town on Sunday, and the line is the largest of the week at between -10 and -10.5, depending on the site.
The five teams the Raiders have beaten this season have a combined record of 19-26-1, and none of the teams to whom they lost currently has a losing record. Far from it, actually. They have a combined record of 27-12 record.
So, they’ve handled their business against ‘beatable’ teams. Teams don’t get more beatable than the 0-8 Bengals whose defense ranks dead last in the NFL and in the bottom five on offense. They’ve scored over 20 points just once this season and have surrendered at least 21 points in every game.
Meanwhile, the Raiders have scored at least 24 points each of the past six games, but have allowed at least 21 points in all but the opener against the Broncos.
