Las Vegas Raiders at NE Patriots
Time: NOON EST
Spread: NE -5.5
Total: 47.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
The New England Patriots are 1-1 after falling Week 2 30-35 to the Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots return home in Week 3 to host the Las Vegas Raiders as 5.5-point favorites. The game will air at Noon (EST) on CBS, and the over/under is set at 47.5 total points according to NFL Oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.
NE
New England returns home where it experienced week 1 success in its win over the Miami Dolphins. Last week saw Cam Newton and company thwarted by the Seahawks, as Newton threw 30 of 44 for 397 yards and a touchdown, though he threw a pick in the game. Newton led the rushing attack with 47 yards on 11 attempts and two rushing TDs, as well, though the rest of the team attempted just 14 attempts for 20 yards and no touchdowns. Julian Edelman caught eight passes for 179 yards, including a 49-yard haul. Damiere Byrd and Nkeal Harry each caught for 72 yards. Only Jakob Johnson caught a touchdown, his one one-yard catch.
Kicker Nick Folk connected on one of two field goals, and all three extra points, with a long-kick of 50-yards. The Patriots gave up 288 yards and five TD passes to Russell Wilson and four Seahawks receivers finished with four receptions or better. Through two weeks, Newton has passed to a rating of 96.8 with 71.4 percent completion ratios and 552 yards.
Newton leads the team in rushing in a desperate way though. He has 122 yards and 4.7 yards-per-carry, but No. 2 rusher Sony Michel has just 17 carries for 56 yards and has not rushed longer than 7-yards on any given play. Rex Burkhead averages just 2.6 yards per. No one else even has more than five attempts. New England has to get more out of its top-rushers, but Newton overall has been very good through his first two games as a Patriot.
LVR
The Raiders are 2-0 after knocking off Carolina Week 1 and New Orleans in Week 2. The Raiders find itself at 2-0 tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the lead of the AFC West. Last week, Derek Carr threw 28 of 38 for 284 yards and three TDs. He was sacked three times for 23-lost-yards, but Josh Jacobs did work out of the backfield. He rushed 27 times for 88 yards, and Darren Waller caught 12 of 16 targeted passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Carr also fumbled twice in the game and the Raiders recovered just 1 of the 2. Dan Carlson hit 2 of 2 field goals and all four PATs, including a 54-yard field goal attempt. The Raiders have got the stellar play out of Carr thus far, overall, though, despite his miscues in the win. His 115 passer rating is bolstered by 73.5 percent passing, 523 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions.
All three sacks were suffered in Week 2, as in the opener he avoided any. Jacobs rushed for 76 yards in Week 1, and he has three touchdowns and 13 first downs on the season. The rest of the running backs have just a total of 68 yards and two FDs. Carr has rushed just three times for three years thus far. Waller has been the top receiver on the heels of his massive week 2, but he also has 18 receptions to No. 2 (Jacobs) just seven.
Defensively, Jonathan Abrams has 1 tackle, Nicholas Morrow has 10, and Damon Arnette has 10. The Raiders have just one sack to its credit in this season, split by Carl Nassib and Maurice Hurst. Carlson has connected on all four of his field-goal attempts this year with two already beyond the mid-field mark. He is perfect on PATs. The Raiders are underdogs after starting 2-0, but it should keep this one very close with few holes in its offensive attack and an improving defensive effort that did not get it done last week.
