Thursday Betting Preview: Chiefs hope to overcome look-ahead spot
The Oakland Raiders host the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night to open the Week 12 slate.
The Chiefs are favored to take down the matchup, and bettors have been quick to get behind them.
More NFL Betting Resources
Week 12 Betting Preview (Friday)
Game Day Betting Update (Sunday)
MNF Betting Preview (Monday)
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
Spread: Chiefs -7.5
Total: 42.5
Line movement:
| Team | Opening Line | Current Line | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | -7 | -7.5 | 76% |
| Raiders | +7 | +7.5 | 24% |
| Team | Opening Total | Current Total | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 43 ov | 42.5 ov | 42% |
| Raiders | 43 un | 42.5 un | 58% |
Analysis: The Chiefs have been very kind to bettors, covering the number in five straight, and eight of 10 games on the season.
This game doesn't figure to feature a lot of points - the 42.5-point total is the third lowest of the week. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith might have something to say about that, as he threw for five touchdowns in his last trip to Oakland.
Kansas City will need to avoid the dreaded trap spot with games against the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals on deck, but the short week may play in the Chiefs' favor.
"You don't have quite as much time to think over things," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said, as reported by Sports Network. "Sometimes that could be a good thing, sometimes it could be bad. We have to get ourselves back and ready to go quickly, so we understand that."
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr certainly would have liked a little extra time to prepare for this game. Carr was a limited participant in the team's first two practices this week as he nurses a quadriceps injury. Oakland turned the ball over 10 times in two meetings with Kansas City last season.
It's easy to see the Chiefs blowing the Raiders out here, but this may actually be one of Oakland's best remaining opportunities to pick up that elusive first win.
While it seems unlikely that the Raiders will get into the win column given their recent ineptitude, they should make some noise against a Chiefs team that has bigger fish to fry in the coming weeks.
Kansas City will want to pick up a quick win in Oakland and get out of town.
Prediction: Chiefs 20, Raiders 13
The Play: Under 42.5
The Trend: The under is 18-6 in the last 24 meetings between these teams.
The Tweet:
According to http://t.co/wuj1IeE7kb, Raiders have a 13 percent chance of going 0-16 and a 70 percent chance of getting No. 1 overall pick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 20, 2014
Odds courtesy Scoresandodds.com. Statistics courtesy Pregame.com. Trends courtesy Covers.
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