The Green Bay Packers travel over 2,000 miles west to the Bay Area to take on the Oakland Raiders at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will reportedly sit out, leaving backups to play in what is traditionally the season rehearsal. The Silver and Black are five-point favorites, down from an open of 6.5. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 39.5. On the money line, the Packers are +200 to win outright (bet $100 to win $200), while the Raiders are -250 (bet $250 to win $100). Before you make any Packers vs. Raiders picks of your own, see what SportsLine stat geek R.J. White has to say.
The CBS Sports NFL editor finished in the top 1 percent of the Las Vegas SuperContest last season, tying for 18th out of a record 2,748 competitors. It was no fluke, either, as he also cashed big-time in the 2015 SuperContest.
If you had placed $100 on each of White's NFL picks at SportsLine last season, you would have won nearly $2,000. Smart bettors tail him.
Now, White has analyzed all the key factors for Packers-Raiders and come up with a confident spread pick, which he's sharing over at SportsLine. And you definitely want to hear what he has to say since he's an incredible 16-3 in against-the-spread picks involving the Packers.
White knows the Packers' offense has hummed through the first two games of the NFL preseason, pounding the Titans 31-17 and Steelers 51-34.
Most of that scoring has been without Rodgers, who has played just one drive all preseason. That drive was a winner too, ending on a TD pass to new tight end Jimmy Graham.
The team's four QBs have combined for a solid 103.9 QB rating. Former Browns castoff DeShone Kizer has led the way, going 16-of-30 for 283 yards, two TDs and no INTs. He added two rushes for two yards against the Steelers and watched as the defense registered a pair of pick-sixes.
The Packers' defense, which has handled opposing passing games so far, will face off with old friend Jordy Nelson. The former Packer amassed 7,848 yards and 69 TDs in 10 seasons in Titletown and should see plenty of action in the first half.
Meanwhile, Raiders coach Jon Gruden rested nearly every starter in Week 2, but the expectation is most of them will play into the second quarter and beyond on Friday. Many are expected to see second-half playing time.
That includes quarterback Derek Carr, who "has more talent than anyone I've ever coached," Gruden said to NBC on Monday.
The Raiders' defense has been stout, even without pass-rushing dynamo Khalil Mack, who's sitting out in the hopes of gaining a new contract. Oakland has allowed just 29 points in two games against the Lions and Rams. Teams are averaging 2.9 yards per rush and have a quarterback rating of 65.9 against them.
We can tell you White is leaning toward the over, but he has uncovered a critical x-factor that will determine the spread outcome of this game. He's only sharing it over at SportsLine.
Who wins Packers-Raiders? And what critical stat determines the outcome? Visit SportsLine here to see which side of the spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the SuperContest guru who's an incredible 16-3 on Packers games.
