A reunion of former division rivals takes place on foreign turf Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks face the Oakland Raiders at Wembley Stadium in London at 1 p.m. ET. The Raiders are searching for their second win of the season and hope to erase the memory of a dreadful performance in last week's 26-10 loss to the Chargers, while the Seahawks stayed close to the Super Bowl-favorite Rams last Sunday, but ultimately came up short in a 33-31 defeat. The Seahawks are three-point favorites, up a half-point from where the line opened. The over-under for total points scored has climbed to 48 from an opener of 47. Before you lock in your Seahawks vs. Raiders picks for NFL in London 2018, check out what SportsLine senior analyst Josh Nagel has to say.
A Nevada-based expert with 20 years of experience in the sports wagering industry, Nagel hit 70 percent of his NFL spread picks last season. He already is off to a strong start in 2018 and heads into the week on a 4-1 run. More important: He has had a particularly sharp sense for these two clubs, posting a record of 15-3 in against the spread picks involving the Raiders or Seahawks during the past two seasons.
In Week 3, Nagel advised SportsLine members that Seattle was in a strong position to pick up its first victory of the season as a slight home favorite against the Cowboys. The Seahawks rolled to a 24-13 win, and anyone who followed Nagel's advice picked up a win of their own.
Now, he has scrutinized Seahawks vs. Raiders from every possible angle to reveal a strong point-spread pick for NFL UK that he's sharing at SportsLine.
Nagel knows Raiders head coach Jon Gruden made a much-celebrated return to the coaching ranks when he signed a $100 million deal to leave the broadcasting booth for a second stint in Oakland, but many observers feel as though the honeymoon is already over. Gruden has been widely criticized for his handling of the Khalil Mack trade and in some circles has been tagged with the perception that the game has passed him by.
Even so, the team managed its first win of the season two weeks ago in a dramatic comeback against the Browns, and the Raiders have the NFL's sixth-ranked offense despite being hampered by turnovers and penalties. The last time he faced Seattle, Gruden's Tampa Bay club came out on top. Carr is sixth in the NFL in passing yards at 1,641, eighth in attempts at 202, and eighth in yards per attempt at 8.12.
The Raiders (1-4) should be in desperation mode Sunday, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are destined to cover against a Seattle team that also wants to break out of the doldrums.
The Seahawks (2-3) have exceeded most meager projections with relatively solid play despite massive roster turnover and injury concerns. Even so, they have had trouble closing out games, with three defeats coming by 12 combined points. They were opportunistic in last week's 33-31 loss to the Rams, forcing two turnovers and making big plays early offensively, but the defense couldn't get a needed late stop to provide one more possession. Seattle allowed 468 total yards and Rams star running back Todd Gurley found the end zone three times.
We can tell you Nagel is leaning toward the Under, but he has also unearthed the crucial X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's sharing it ONLY at SportsLine.
Who wins Raiders-Seahawks? And what critical factor causes one side of the spread to hit hard? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side is a must-back, all from the senior analyst who's 15-3 on picks involving the Seahawks and Raiders.
