Oakland Raiders NFL Betting Odds

2010 Season

Last season the struggling Oakland Raiders finished third in the AFC West division on 8-8, which despite being an improvement on the season before (5-11), did not prevent the team's principal owner Al Davis from firing head coach Tom Cable and replacing him with Hue Jackson, who'll be the NFL franchise's fifth head coach in seven seasons. No pressure Hue.

2011 Off Season

By all accounts, the sudden departure of head coach Tom Cable last season did not sit well with most of the players in the Oakland Raiders, which will no doubt make coach Jackson's job even more difficult this season, which is to deliver a winning record. With a big question mark still hanging over the head of QB Jason Campbell, who had an average season last year, the Raiders said goodbye to QB Bruce Gradkowski, TE Zach Miller, WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, LB Thomas Howard, G Robert Gallery and CB Nnamdi Asomugha. They signed up veterans QB Trent Edwards, OT Stephon Heyer and TE Kevin Boss, and used the 2011 NFL Draft to sign up C Stefen Wisniewski, CB Chimdi Chekwa, WR Denarius Moore, CB DeMarcus Van Dyke, TB Taiwan Jones and OT Joseph Barksdale.

2011 Preview

The Oakland Raiders have a long way to go to recapture the kind of form that got them to Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002, where they were lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Particularly if coach Jackson cannot get Campbell to play up to his potential in the offense. Last season the quarterback completed 59 percent of his passes and threw for 13 TDs and eight INTs, which most NFL betting fans would agree as being 'acceptable' for his first season, but not for his second. This means Campbell needs to step up this season, as do most of Oakland's offensive lineup, particularly after TE Zach Miller jumped ship for the Seattle Seahawks this season. But one player who had a standout season last year was RB Darren McFadden, who rushed for 1,157 yards, and could well be the backbone of the unit this season. Defensively, the Raiders could also battle this season considering they'll have to do without the talents of CB Nnamdi Asomugha, who signed a $60 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. That said, young LBs Kamerion Wimbley and Rollando McClain are expected to pull their weight this season.

2011 Prediction

Everything considered, it's unlikely that the Oakland Raiders will improve on their record from last season considering they have a new head coach to contend with, and have to deal with the loss of some solid players. That said, NFL franchises with far less going for them have excelled in previous seasons, so perhaps coach Jackson will be able to coax some magic out of the Raiders and keep his job for more than one season. However, the odds are against him.

**Our Pick

The Oakland Raiders have an interesting schedule this year, which includes some relatively easy games (Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions) as well as some tougher prospects (New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers). But while their running game may be as effective as it was last season, their defense may take a knock this season with the loss of Nnamdi Asomugha. As such, we see the Raiders finishing third in the AFC West division with a record of 7-9.