Are the Raiders a Legitimate Bet to Pull Off Upset?

The Las Vegas Raiders have shown they can compete with nearly any team they face. However, are they capable of actually pulling off a win on the road against the Miami Dolphins?

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) fights a tackle from Las Vegas Raiders safety Tre'von Moehrig (7) and cornerback Jakorian Bennett (0) on a catch in the second quarter of the NFL Week 9 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Las Vegas Raiders at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders' season has gone far differently than anyone in the organization had hoped or planned for. There are no signs that things will change after they return from their bye week, but they do have new coaches that have been added, which could lead to some positive changes.

However, Sloan Piva of The Sporting News thinks the Raiders may be in for another long day on Sunday when they play the Dolphins in Miami.

“The Dolphins have been battling against some pretty good teams since Tua Tagovailoa returned, but they don't have much to show for it,” Piva said. “They lost a one-point heartbreaker to Arizona 28-27, then fell by just three a week later in Buffalo (30-27).

“Add a back-and-forth battle with the now-healthy Rams on Monday, and you've got a Miami team that's healthy and coming off three straight games against upper-echelon teams. Teams that — let's face it — have been on a different stratosphere than the Raiders.

The Raiders are coming off their bye week. However, they entered their bye week on a five-game losing streak. They fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy shortly after their most recent loss.

It was a move that needed to happen and happened at the right time, as the Raiders’ offense continued to struggle because of things they were doing more than their opponents.

“Vegas has reached turbulent conditions,” Piva said. The Antonio Pierce head-coaching experiment has failed miserably, and so has every QB who has started for the Raiders. Mark Davis's squad has dropped five straight, and its seven losses have been by an average margin of 12.9 points.”

Piva noted that the Bengals and Dolphins have similar offenses and that the Raiders will likely have similar problems. This is bad news for a Raiders team that just allowed a season high 42 points just a few weeks ago. 

“Cincinnati, which is built similarly to Miami, destroyed Vegas 42-23 in Week 9. The Bengals racked up 243 passing yards and 130 rushing yards in the onslaught, and Joe Burrow put five TDs on the board. The 'fins should swim away unscathed on Sunday.”

The Dolphins are 6.5-point favorites, and Piva believes Miami will cover that spread by a score of 31-23.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.