Las Vegas Raiders playoff odds and predicted total wins: NFL futures picks and best bets

Assessing the betting odds of the Las Vegas Raiders making the 2020 NFL playoffs and predicting their exact win total.

Will the Las Vegas Raiders make the 2020 NFL playoffs? Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds and make our pick. We also predict their exact win total for the upcoming season.

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Tuesday, June 2 at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Will the Las Vegas Raiders make the 2020 NFL playoffs?

Yes: +240  | No: -304 

The Raiders improved quite a bit last season after going just 4-12 in 2018. They finished the season at 7-9 and were in the playoff hunt until the final week of the season. In fact, you can make a strong case the Raiders should have made the playoffs if it weren’t for two fourth-quarter collapses in Weeks 15 and 17.

Entering Year 3 of head coach Jon Gruden’s rebuild, the Raiders’ roster has been dramatically overhauled. This offseason, general manager Mike Mayock and Gruden focused on retooling the defense in free agency, adding key veterans such as DT Maliek Collins, LB Cory Littleton and DE Carl Nassib. On paper, this is the most talent the Raiders have had on defense in some time.

The Raiders’ 2020 season will ultimately boil down to just how well QB Derek Carr plays. He set career highs in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating in 2019, but it is clear Gruden wants his quarterback to be more aggressive throwing the ball down the field. The team added WR Henry Ruggs III with the No. 12 pick in the draft and that will finally give this offense the speed it has been lacking.

It’s clear this Raiders team is a distant second, at best, in the AFC West Division, and that means they will have to fight for a wild-card spot. The Raiders will play four playoff teams in their first five games. They could start the season off rough. Look for the Raiders to be a much-improved team from last season, but don’t necessarily expect them to make a run at the playoffs in 2020. Take the Raiders to MISS THE PLAYOFFS (-304) this season.


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How many games will the Las Vegas Raiders win in 2020? Bands

BAND ODDS
0-4 Wins +1100
5-8 Wins -223
9-12 Wins +200
13-16 Wins +12500

The Raiders won seven games last season, but they very easily could have won as many as 10 if it weren’t for a few last-second collapses. With a more difficult schedule this year, it seems unlikely they will improve by two or more wins this season.

The smart play here is to bet on the Raiders to win somewhere between 5-8 games (-223), but there is some outside potential they get to 9-12 (+200) if everything falls correctly. Given the odds for either bet, it’s not worth risking much here.

How many games will the Las Vegas Raiders win in 2020? Exact number

The most likely amount of wins for the Raiders this season based on the odds is 7 (+285). That feels about right given their schedule, their division and their roster.

There is a solid chance this team gets off to a slow start and that could have a major impact on their season. Six wins (+380) isn’t a bad bet and neither is 8 wins (+290). Expect the Raiders’ final win total in 2020 to fall between 6-8 wins with eight wins probably being the best bet on the board.

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Who will start at QB for the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1?

Projecting the Week 1 starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders.

There appeared to be a legitimate chance the Las Vegas Raiders would use either the No. 12 or No. 19 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on their next franchise quarterback heading into the 2020 NFL offseason. After the team signed Marcus Mariota in free agency, it squashed that possibility as head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock decided to use their first-round capital to address other positions of need.

The quarterback situation now appears fairly set heading toward the 2020 season; however, we will take a look at the recent odds posted by BetMGM on who will be the Week 1 starter for the Raiders.

Las Vegas Raiders’ Week 1 starter: Best bets

Derek Carr (-589)

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Tuesday, April 28 at 12 p.m. ET.

Carr is a monster favorite to open the season as the team’s starter. In his second season with Gruden as the head coach, Carr improved on his completion percentage (70.4%), yards per attempt (7.9) and passer rating (100.8).

While there are still areas of his game where he needs to improve, the Raiders added speed and talent to their wide receiver corps this offseason to help him out. Unless an injury happens between now and Week 1, Carr will be the team’s starting quarterback. The odds are chalky, but Carr is a safe bet here to begin the season as the starter.

New to sports betting? A $10 futures bet on Carr to be the Week 1 starter would return a profit of $1.70.

Marcus Mariota (+350)

After being replaced by Ryan Tannehill as the starter for the Tennessee Titans last season, Mariota hit free agency and signed a two-year deal with the Raiders to be the team’s backup quarterback. It’s an excellent deal for Mariota as he is now the highest-paid backup QB in the NFL.

In normal circumstances, Mariota might have a chance to beat out Carr in the offseason for the starting job. With teams not holding minicamps or OTAs, Mariota just won’t see many reps in the Raiders’ offense ahead of the 2020 season. For that reason, he won’t beat out Carr in time for Week 1. While the odds are enticing, PASS on Mariota to start the season as the Raiders’ No. 1 quarterback.


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Las Vegas Raiders’ Week 1 starter: Long shots

Cam Newton (+2000)

The first non-Raiders player to appear on the list is the former Carolina Panthers’ star and MVP winner. Carolina released Newton early this offseason as they decided to sign Teddy Bridgewater to be the face of the franchise. Newton is currently a free agent and there hasn’t been a lot of noise about a potential landing spot, either.

While Gruden can never say “no” to enticing quarterback prospects, there just doesn’t appear to be a spot open for Newton. If Carr or Mariota were to suffer an injury at any point in time, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Raiders called Newton and his agent, but as for now, PASS on Newton being the team’s starter in Week 1 or at any point in the 2020 season.

Andy Dalton (+5000)

Finally, Dalton appears on the list as a potential starter for the Raiders in Week 1. Like Newton, this one doesn’t make much sense as Dalton is currently on the Cincinnati Bengals’ roster and the Raiders would need to make a trade to acquire him. For Dalton to start for Las Vegas, it likely means something happened to both Carr and Mariota. For that reason, it doesn’t seem very likely. PASS on Dalton to become the team’s starting quarterback in 2020, despite the lofty 50-1 odds.

Want action on NFL futures betting? Sign up and place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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