The Oakland Raiders are on the verge of becoming a consistent NFL team.
Head coach Jack Del Rio's team goes on the road yet again this week when it travels to Florida for the second week in a row to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Raiders have won their first four road games this season, and they should have an excellent chance of making it five in a row against a Tampa Bay team that struggles to play 60 productive minutes at a time.
The Raiders go into each game with the confidence that they are going to be able to move the ball well. They rank 11th in offensive yards gained, and quarterback Derek Carr is now an established star who can make key plays when the game is on the line.
The third-year signal-caller has thrown 13 TD passes and just three interceptions, and he is able to find the soft spots in opposing defense with a pair of top receivers in Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. Running back Latavius Murray returned in Week 7 after missing the previous two games (turf toe), and he scored two touchdowns and ran for 59 yards.
The Raiders have offensive balance, and it's a characteristic that winning teams have which struggling teams don't.
The Bucs have played in fits and starts and have a 3-3 record. They appeared ready to make a major move at the start of the season because quarterback Jameis Winston finished well during his rookie year and took his offseason training more seriously.
However, Winston has thrown nine interceptions, and the Tampa Bay passing game is centered entirely on Mike Evans. Outside of him, they don't have many viable options.
The Bucs are 1.5-point favorites this weekend, according to Odds Shark. They should be able to play a competitive game and hang in with the Raiders, but Oakland will come away with the road victory once again and get the cover for their backers.
The Atlanta Falcons were one of the hottest teams at the start of the season, as they got off to a sharp 4-1 start that included back-to-back wins over the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.
Beating last year's Super Bowl participants seemed to indicate that these were not the same old Falcons who would show off their strength against lesser teams but get pushed around by stronger units.
That conclusion may have been a bit premature. The Falcons have dropped their last two games against the Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers, and they appear to be repeating past tendencies.
The Falcons are 2.5-point favorites against the Green Bay Packers this week, and this could prove to be a difficult assignment even though the Falcons will be at home in the Georgia Dome.
The Packers are 4-2 at this point in the season, and they didn't show off their offensive talent until their Week 7 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Aaron Rodgers threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns in that game, and the Packers had the balance in the passing game that had been missing. Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery each caught at least 10 passes, and that makes the Packers difficult to defend against through the air.
The Falcons are not a wise investment when they are favorites against the spread. They have failed to cover in any of their last 10 games when given the edge by the linemakers.
We like the Packers to go on the road and secure the win versus Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Co.
Prior to the Minnesota Vikings' Week 7 game at Philadelphia, there was quite a bit of talk that the NFL's last undefeated team was on its way to a memorable season and could make a run at NFC superiority.
They may very well be able to do that, but their talent was not apparent against the Eagles, as they struggled to find their form and dropped a 21-10 decision.
Head coach Mike Zimmer did not sugarcoat the loss or spare his players' feelings. He criticized his team's offensive line for its performance after they gave up six sacks and 12 quarterback hits to the Eagles.
"We didn't block anybody," Zimmer told the media after the game (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra). "We were soft. We got overpowered."
That critique should ensure the Vikings rebound well when they come to Chicago Monday night against the Bears. The Vikings are 4.5-point road favorites, and the Bears don't appear to be able to compete.
Chicago is likely to have starter Jay Cutler back in the lineup after being sidelined with a sprained thumb, but there are serious questions about whether he will perform adequately against Minnesota's hard-hitting defense.
The Minnesota defense ranks first overall in yardage allowed, and the Vikings should be all over the Bears. The Vikings win the game by at least seven points.
Prop Bets
Combination bets involving teams from multiple sports are usually quite popular around the Super Bowl. One of those bets is available this weekend, and it involves the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs and Chicago Blackhawks.
The Bears are hosting the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Oct. 31, while the Cubs are involved in an event called the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. Game 5 of that series will be played Sunday, October 30. The Blackhawks are at home Sunday night against the Los Angeles Kings.
If all three of those teams are victorious (the Cubs and Blackhawks on October 30, the Bears on October 31) in the Windy City Special, a successful bettor will get a return of +1000 (bet $100 to win $1,000), according to Odds Shark.
However, those who want to bet that at least one of the teams will lose have to take -5000 odds in order to make the bet.
Handicappers can also make a bet on this year's Super Bowl as the season approaches the halfway point.
The New England Patriots are +275 favorites to win Super Bowl LI, according to Odds Shark.
The Patriots take a 6-1 record into their Week 8 game at Buffalo, and they have been a powerful offensive team since Tom Brady returned to action in Week 5.
The Seattle Seahawks are the second choice at +750, while the Vikings are at +900. Those are the only three teams with odds of less than +1000.
Stats are courtesy of CBS Sports.