Why the Raiders Might Just Be the Dark Horse Among Struggling Teams This Season

Ever wonder who would willingly pledge allegiance to the Cleveland Browns outside their own backyard—say, Nebraska? Truth be told, the Browns have been the punchline of football jokes for years, and this season looks like déjà vu all over again with a patchwork quarterback lineup that reads like a revolving door saga. Meanwhile, the Raiders, turnover-prone yet quietly assembling talent, might just be riding a slow-building wave toward respectability. With a staggeringly low over/under of 37.5 and Shedeur Sanders’ shaky debut looming large, this one’s shaping up as a defensive slugfest. So grab your popcorn, because whether you’re rooting for improbable heartbreak or steady progress, there’s a peculiar edge here that the books simply can’t seem to price right. LEARN MORE.

Browns vs. Raiders, 4:05 ET

I generally try not to write about the same team two weeks in a row. That isn’t always possible given the prime time games. I almost always cover the Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, and, until this year, the Sunday Night Football games. With football, people will watch any game that is on television. That isn’t the case with basketball or baseball. With football, it really doesn’t matter who plays; people watch. Although I wouldn’t normally want to watch this one, I do think there is an edge that the books are missing in this one between the Browns and the Raiders.

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone outside of Cleveland who is a Browns fan. Maybe we can expand that to Ohio overall, but have you ever met someone who grew up in, say, Nebraska, and they actively chose to be a fan of the Browns? Who would choose to subject themselves to this franchise? They have been a disaster for years, and this year is no different. Coming into today’s game, they are 2-8 and have lost all five games on the road. There are some bright spots – or at least one bright spot – Myles Garrett. But, outside of that, is there anything that people are pumped about? They have had four quarterbacks associated with them this season, and three of them have played. DeShaun Watson is on IR. Joe Flacco started the season and was traded. Dillon Gabriel has played in eight games but got injured last game. I highly doubt he plays due to a concussion. Shedeur Sanders took over, but that was an ugly debut with him completing just four passes on 16 attempts for 47 yards and an interception. If Sanders has to start this game, the Browns will have to have their defense score for them to put up points.

Which, is possible because the Raiders are turnover prone and seem to love giving the ball away. Geno Smith, who had a career resurgence in Seattle, looks very similar to the shaky and untrustworthy quarterback from when the Jets had him under center. The Raiders aren’t exactly good, but I think they are at least building a contender in the long term. It can be said about a lot of teams, but put a solid quarterback on this roster, and I think they are at least a .500 team. I don’t think I’d say the same about the Browns, although the Cleveland defense is substantially better than most teams. I’d love to say the Raiders have an edge on offense somewhere, but they don’t. The Browns are first in passing defense, so you can count that out. The running game could potentially get something going, but the Raiders run game is near the bottom of the league, even with Ashton Jeanty.

So, what is the best look for this game? The under is a ridiculously low 37.5. I am quite honestly not sure how you can get over that total, though, with these two playing. I really like a sprinkle on the no touchdowns scored or the Browns defense to score the first touchdown of the game. Outside of that, with Sanders under center, I think there is no chance that the Browns win this game. Give me the Raiders to cover the short number at home.

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