Sportsbook.com AFC West Betting Preview | Futures

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

NFL: Raiders ready for turnaround?

After five seasons at the bottom of the AFC West, oddsmakers believe the Oakland Raiders can finally get out of the basement.

The Raiders are listed at 13:2 odds to win the AFC West, which puts them behind the favored San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos but ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Oakland has one of the best defenses in the NFL and if the offense can improve and keep the defense out of bad situations, the Raiders should improve on their 4-12 record from the 2007 season.

With the excitement of the 2008 season building, the NFL Futures Odds available here at Sportsbook.com are hot. Bet on the Division, Conference and Super Bowl Winner, Week 1 matchups and the biggest Games of the Year.

We’ve previewed the East, North and South divisions and this week we’re breaking down the West.

Here’s a look at the AFC West:



San Diego Chargers (2:7).

The San Diego Chargers are the favorite in the AFC West for good reason. With a healthy lineup, San Diego has the talent to make it to the Super Bowl and should go unchallenged in the West.

An experienced offensive unit with quarterback Philip Rivers, running back LaDainian Tomlinson and tight end Antonio Gates gives San Diego the best core of offensive stars in the division. Injuries to all three players slowed this team in the AFC Championship but the Chargers still put in a gritty performance before losing to the New England Patriots 21-12.

Wide receiver Chris Chambers, acquired in a trade from Miami last season, enters his first full year in San Diego and, along with Vincent Jackson, the two receivers provide the best duo that the Chargers have had to start a season in some time.

You can’t look past the Chargers defense either. With a +24 turnover ratio in the regular season, and a +4 turnover ratio in three postseason games, this unit possesses a number of playmakers.

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie had 10 interceptions last year and at 24 years of age, he should continue to improve while linebacker Shawn Merriman, 39 ½ sacks in three seasons, will get after the quarterback.

With Jamal Williams at nose tackle and Luis Castillo at defensive end in the 3-4 scheme, running on this taem can be a tough task.

Expectations are high and the 10.5 regular season win total shows that.
There’s no doubt that the Chargers can win the AFC West but can they finally get past the Patriots in the playoffs?

Denver Broncos (4:1).

Denver offseasons have been interesting in recent years and this was no exception.

Emerging star receiver Brandon Marshall provided much of the excitement, allegedly slipping on a McDonald’s bag, falling through a television set and sustaining lacerations to an artery, vein, nerve, two tendons and three muscles.

With the cast later removed, Marshall got into legal troubles for traffic violations and domestic disputes which resulted in the NFL handing down a three-game suspension that could be trimmed to two games. That leaves the Broncos without the receiver who hauled in 1,325 yards and seven touchdowns last season, for games against Oakland and San Diego, and possibly New Orleans.

That’s a significant loss for a team that released its other big-play receiver, Javon Walker. Add in that quarterback Jay Cutler enters just his second full season as the starter and it could be a rough start for the Broncos, who missed the playoffs for the second-straight season last year.

The Broncos will again rely on their running backs. Second-year player Selvin Young is the front-runner now that rookie Ryan Torain is out for several months with an elbow injury.

Denver’s defense still has shut-down corner Champ Bailey but is lacking other game-changing players and as a result, they gave up 336 yards of offense a game in 2007.

After a 7-9 season last year, oddsmakers have set the Broncos’ regular season win total at 7.5 which could prove to be a lofty total if the offense struggles without Marshall.

Oakland Raiders (13:2).

Oakland hasn’t won more than five games since 2002 but oddsmakers believe they’ll challenge to beat that total in 2008, setting the team’s regular season win total at six wins.

A strong defense can finally help the Oakland Raiders get out of the AFC West basement. Despite a 2-14 record in 2006, Oakland’s defense was ranked third in the league, giving up just 284.8 yards of offense per game despite an offense that consistently turned the ball over.

The defense stepped backwards last year as the offense continued to put them in bad situations but with the addition of cornerback DeAngelo Hall from Atlanta, the Raiders now have the best cornerback duo in the league. Hall lines up across from teammate Nnamdi Asomugha and the two corners should put a scare in opposing quarterbacks.

The Raiders also added free agent safety Gibril Wilson from the New York Giants. What hurt the Raiders last year was the run game and they’ll need to fix that this year.

Offensively, the Raiders will go as far as their young stars take them. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell had a year to learn from the sidelines and takes over as the starter, while he’s joined by Darren McFadden at running back.

McFadden may not open as the starter in Week 1 but fans have high expectations for the former Arkansas back, hoping he can achieve the quick success that Adrian Peterson did in Minnesota last year.

No matter the back, McFadden or Justin Fargas, the Raiders need to prove that last year’s rushing average of just more than 130 yards per game was no fluke. The offensive line has been a major issue in seasons past but created running room last year.

The other big addition in Oakland is Javon Walker. The free agent, who has missed significant time to knee injuries in two of the past three seasons, is a 1,000-yard receiver when healthy and is still in the prime of his career at just 29 years of age.

If the offense can hold up, the Raiders should be a pleasant surprise this year.

Kansas City Chiefs (10:1).

Kansas City’s offense has fallen on tough times from the years when they rivaled the Indianapolis Colts as the most feared unit in the NFL.

With running back Larry Johnson missing eight games to injury and Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard splitting the quarterback duties, opposing defenses had little to fear in K.C., with the exception of rookie wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.

The 23-year-old wide receiver progressed nicely in his rookie season, catching for 995 yards and five touchdowns on an offense that ranked 31st in the league with just 276.8 total yards per game.

Even with Bowe and Johnson ready to roll this season, the Chiefs are short on offensive weapons with fifth year player, Devard Darling listed as the receiver opposite of Bowe on the early depth chart. Darling caught for just 326 yards in Baltimore last year.

Defensively, the Chiefs traded their biggest playmaker in defensive end Jared Allen. Allen had 15.5 sacks to go with 64 tackles in a Pro Bowl season.

Coach Herm Edwards hopes that trade is offset by the addition of defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and cornerback Brandon Flowers as part of the 12 draft picks the Chiefs had in the spring.

Dorsey joins a unit that ranked 28th in the NFL, giving up 130.6 rushing yards a game last season while Flowers will get playing time in a secondary that gave up 188.9 yards per game last year. That was fifth in the league but teams often chose to rack up yards on the ground against the Chiefs.

There’s no doubt that Kansas City has a long ways to go to get back to the playoffs and the 5.5 regular season win total here at Sportsbook.com is proof.


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