In different ways, the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots are two of the biggest surprises in the NFL when it comes to the early-season playoff picture. Not much was expected of the Raiders, who currently own a 3-1 record and the second AFC Wild Card spot. Meanwhile, the Patriots are coming off a Super Bowl appearance but are clinging to the seventh seed by owning the tiebreaker over the four other 2-2 teams in the conference.
So, while the season is still young, the Week 5 contest between
the Raiders and Patriots could have big postseason implications. On top of that, we have our fifth installment of the Silver and Black Pride Pick’em competition. Let’s make some picks!
Odds below are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change.
Raiders vs. Patriots
- Spread: NE -3.5
- O/U: 44.5
- NE ML: -196
- LV ML: +164
Holder’s picks: LV +3.5, Under 44.5, LV ML
On top of facing a quality opponent, the Raiders will have to battle their first 10:00 a.m. body clock game of the season. That adds an extra element that shifts the odds in New England’s favor. However, the Pats are also dealing with several key injuries and have looked like a shell of the team that made the Super Bowl a year ago in three out of four games this season. So, I’ll put my money on Klint Kubiak and Co. overcoming the situation to get the job done!
Pick’em Competition
Moving on to S&BP’s Pick’em competition, below is a look at how our writers finished last week.
- Ray Aspuria 39-25 (61%)
- Matt Holder 35-29 (55%)
- Bill Williamson 27-22 (55%)
I managed to tie things up with Bill by going 9-7 last week, and yes, I am giving myself the nod despite the fact that we have the same win percentage and he was ahead of me a week ago. That’s the beauty of being the one who writes the article! However, I didn’t gain any ground on Ray, who also went 9-7 and holds a four-game lead over me. Time for me to stay resilient and keep chipping along!
Community Standings
1. TV Raider 45-19
t-2. Mooniac 44-20
t-2. FanSince76 44-20
4. Raider408 43-21
t-5. Running With the Night 42-22
t-5. Sin City Saviors 42-22
t-5. Raider_NC 42-22
t-5. radrntn 42-22
t-9. Chattanooga Benny 41-23
t-9. Knoxian 41-23
t-9. Roosky Raiders 41-23
t-9. Hot Mo 41-23
Week 4 Top Pickers
- Chattanooga Benny 12-4
- TV Raider 12-4
- Running With the Night 12-4
- Vila41 12-4
We have four top pickers from last week with an impressive 12 correct picks. TV Raider was the big winner of the week. Being a top picker catapulted TV into first place, giving us an early shakeup to the community standings. However, it’s still very early, and we have seven other people who are within three picks of the top spot. With bye weeks starting this weekend, that raises the stakes for every pick!
Best of luck to you all this week!
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