NFL Odds: Patriots Favored Over Raiders In Mexico City Showdown

The New England Patriots head south of the border this weekend to take on the Oakland Raiders in the final NFL International Series matchup of the season as 6.5-point road favorites on the NFL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

New England looked well rested following a Week 9 bye, crushing the Denver Broncos in a 41-16 win as 7-point road chalk last weekend to extend its straight-up win streak to five games going into Sunday afternoon’s Patriots vs. Raiders betting matchup at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

After surrendering a whopping 32 points per game over their first four outings of the season, the Patriots defense has stepped up during the squad’s win streak, allowing just 13.4 points per game. The New England offense averaged fewer than 22 points per game over the first four games in the squad’s current five-game surge, fueling a 4-0 run for the UNDER in totals betting.

However, the Patriots generated their highest point total since Week 16 of last season in last week’s win at Mile High, and now are unbeaten in 13 straight matchups away from Gillette Stadium while covering on 11 occasions, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.

New England’s lopsided win over the Broncos also has returned the squad to the top of the Super Bowl odds as a +325 favorite. The Patriots briefly were dumped from their familiar perch atop the NFL futures following their Week 9 bye. The Philadelphia Eagles moved past New England, rising to +400 chalk last week on the strength of seven straight victories, but have dropped back to +475 after enjoying a Week 10 bye.

The Raiders are hosting a home game in Mexico City for a second straight year. Oakland was idle in Week 10 after eking out a 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins as 3-point chalk two weeks ago to improve to 2-1 SU in its past three. However, it has been a largely disappointing campaign for the Raiders, who have gone 2-5 SU and 1-5-1 ATS in seven outings since winning and covering in consecutive contests to open the campaign.

Oakland’s sub-par performance has not been overlooked by oddsmakers. After winning 12 games and ending a 13-year playoff drought in 2016, the Raiders opened the current campaign as a strong +1000 bet on the NFL futures, but have emerged as one of this season’s biggest disasters in Super Bowl betting while tumbling to a distant +4000.

The Raiders also have dropped four straight to New England, 1-3 ATS, and have averaged just 14 points per game in their past two dates with the Patriots.