Philadelphia (2-4) at Las Vegas (4-2)
When: Sunday, October 24th, 2021
Where: Allegiant Stadium,
Las Vegas, NV
Time: 4:05 ET | TV: FOX
Opening Odds: Las Vegas -3/48.5
The Las Vegas Raiders will look to keep the momentum going under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia when they host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium. Bisaccia took over for Jon Gruden before last week’s game in Denver and the team responded with a 34-24 road win over the rival Broncos, snapping a two-game skid. That win moved Las Vegas into a first place tie in the AFC West with the Los Angeles Chargers at 4-2 with Kansas City right behind at 3-3. The Raiders built a 21-point, third-quarter lead, and had to hold on in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory. Derek Carr bounced back from a rough outing the week before by throwing for 341 yards with two touchdowns without an interception.
The Eagles meanwhile, are coming in on 10-days rest after dropping a 28-22 decision at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Philadelphia was down 28-7 before rallying and covering the 6.5-point spread (7 points in some places) by converting a 2-point conversion following their final touchdown late in the game. Jalen Hurts threw a touchdown and ran for two more in the setback, keeping the Eagles winless in three home games. Philly brings a 2-1 road record to the desert with wins over Carolina and Atlanta and the lone loss coming at Dallas on a Monday night.
The Raiders come into this contest as 3-point favorites with a total of 48.5. The Eagles have won six of the last nine meetings but the Raiders are 6-3 ATS in that span. Philadelphia won the most recent meeting at home 19-10 on Christmas Day 2017.
Hurts is averaging 296 passing yards a game but has just eight touchdowns on the season. He has been a force on the ground, leading the Eagles with 300 rushing yards. Hurts is completing 66.7 percent of his passes on the road as compared to 57.7 percent at home. The Eagles do have three-time Pro Bowl tackle Lane Johnson back with the team following a two-week absence due to mental health issues, however, it’s unlikely he’ll be available this weekend. Running back Miles Sanders has only 57 carries in six games and hasn’t scored yet. DeVonta Smith, a 2021 first round pick, leads the team with 345 receiving yards, but Philadelphia traded away long time tight end Zach Ertz to Arizona earlier this week. On defense Alex Singleton leads the team with 67 tackles, and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is having a career year with six sacks already. The Eagles are 28th in the league, allowing 135.3 rushing yards per game.
Carr is second in the league with 1,946 yards on the season, and got his 341 yards on Sunday with only 18 completions. Henry Ruggs led all receivers with three catches for 97 yards and scored on a 48-yarder. Ruggs has become a deep threat for Carr, allowing All-Pro tight end Darren Waller to work underneath. Waller is third among tight ends with 33 catches this season but missed practice Wednesday with a knee injury. Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake each scored a rushing touchdown on Sunday, but the running game needs to improve. The Raiders rank 30th (79.8 yards per game) in the league in rushing and Jacobs has totaled just 175 on 54 carries in four games. Raiders starting defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins (hip) returned to practice after sitting out last week. Las Vegas also signed veteran cornerback Desmond Trufant this week. On the season, the Raiders rank 10th against the pass and 25th versus the run.
The Eagles have looked much better on the road and Hurts is starting to get comfortable. Philly’s weakness on defense is against the run, but Las Vegas has shown nothing in the ground game so far. I expect a tight contest, so I’ll take the points.
Pick: Eagles +3
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