No team in the NFL has had a longer streak of games without being favored than have the Oakland Raiders.
All of that comes to an end on Sunday though, as they are actually laying lumber on the road, which proves to us just how hapless the Chicago Bears have become.
WHEN THE OAKLAND RAIDERS HAVE THE BALL
The Bears are starting to pick their own defense apart. They traded both Jon Bostic and Jared Allen on Monday, a day after allowing the Seahawks to run wild on them in the second half en route to a 26-0 victory. This defense has now conceded an average of 35.0 points per game this season, and we have a tough time imagining Chicago slowing down the Raiders' offense.
Derek Carr continues to impress us in his second year in the league. In his last two games, he has thrown for 665 yards and five touchdowns, posting QB ratings of 100.9 and 115.9 in the process. This offense has been efficient, and it hasn't been turning the ball over, and that's why it has been so successful.
The key for live bettors is that ground game with Latavius Murray, though. There was a point that Murray had seven carries and five yards last week against the Browns. He finished with 26 carries and 139 yards because the Raiders just kept sticking with the ground game. Jack Del Rio built an entire offense in Jacksonville years ago around Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew consistently pounding the ball between the tackles, and now, Murray is playing that role as the featured back in this lineup.
WHEN THE CHICAGO BEARS HAVE THE BALL
Let's establish one thing right off the bat. The Bears aren't better with Jimmy Clausen than they were with the now-injured Jay Cutler. Clausen stinks, and there's no two ways around that.
Of course, it isn't all Clausen's fault. Let's remember that last week, he played on the road for the first time against the Seahawks, who were 0-2 and desperate, not to mention the fact that that was their home opener. Alshon Jeffrey didn't play and sounds like he might not play again, and all of a sudden, the best offensive player on this team outside of Matt Forte might be Eddie Royal. Yuck.
This week has to get better for the Bears. The Oakland defense, though definitely tangibly better now than it was a season ago, is still relatively weak. Yes, the Raiders are rushing the passer, and that is helping out the cause a ton, but Charles Woodson is the only notable member of this secondary, and though he has made a couple big plays, his best days are clearly behind him.
If you think that you can get away with just live betting the super-square Raiders in this game, think about. The Bears are going to have at least some degree of success on Sunday back at home.
TREND TO TRACK
There are four words that NFL bettors probably never thought they were going to have the chance to utter this year: The Raiders are favored.
In fact, it's the first time that Oakland has been able to say that it is favored in a game since November 3, 2013. It's also the first time that the team has been favored on the road since September 16, 2012. Here's the bad news for the Raiders, though. They were beaten in those two games by score lines of 49-20 and 35-13.
The last time Oakland won road games in consecutive weeks was in October 2011, and the last time it won in consecutive weeks outside of the Pacific Time Zone was during the Clinton administration – 1995 to be exact.
As tempting as it is to live bet against the Bears, you should really remember how much history is going against Oakland in this game.
The NFL odds for this Sunday contest were first released by BookMaker, and the Oakland Raiders were positioned as 2-point favorites with a total of 44. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears is set for Sunday, October 4, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. ET at Soldier Field. The matchup will be televised live on CBS.
