Dolphins Open as 1.5-Point Favorites in Week 16 Against the Raiders

• The Miami Dolphins will visit the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium on Saturday (Dec. 26, 8:15 pm EST)
• The Dolphins have won eight of their last 10 games
• Read below for opening odds analysis and a prediction on which way the line will move before kickoff

The Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders will square off in one of the three Saturday games in Week 16 (Dec. 26, 8:15 pm EST). The Raiders are in the midst of a nosedive having lost four of five and now find themselves as a 1.5-point dog in this spot. Let’s take a closer look at this matchup and see which way will this betting line move throughout the week.

Dolphins vs Raiders Opening Odds

All odds as of December 20 at FanDuel.

Raiders Mired In Extended Slump

The Raiders have lost four of their last five contests and quite frankly, should be happy that it’s not a five-game losing streak. Their lone win during this entire span was a last-second miracle against the New York Jets, who were winless at the time.

Raiders QB Derek Carr came up limping on this scramble. He is now walking to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/r4QnTdiRnW

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 18, 2020

The biggest issue for the Raiders has been a lousy defense, which is giving up 36.0 points per game during the five-game slump. They fired defensive coordinator Paul Guenther last week in the hope that it would spark a change but Las Vegas gave up 30 points and 402 yards to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday.

Compounding the Raiders problems is that they’ll now be without starting quarterback Derek Carr in this spot. That means Marcus Mariota will get the nod and he had mixed results in his first appearance last Thursday.

Dolphins Continue To Roll

The Dolphins started the season 1-3 but they’ve quietly been one of the best teams in the NFL since that point. After Sunday’s win over New England, they’ve now won eight of their last 10 games. More importantly, their 22-12 win over the Patriots moved them up to 9-5, which kept them as the No. 7 seed in the tightly-contested AFC playoff picture.

Miami has been getting the job done thanks to a solid defense, which held the Pats to just 303 yards on Sunday and 12 points. The week prior, they became the first team ever to intercept Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes three times in a game.

Look at @Tua man 🤩

📺 @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/WmzRpSIzjp

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 20, 2020

Over their last six contests, the Dolphins are giving up 20.8 points per game. With rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the offense doing just enough on the other side of the ball, that’s what has helped fuel this Miami playoff run.

Which Way Will The Line Move?

These are two teams heading in opposite directions momentum-wise and that’s likely to play out on the point spread as well. The Dolphins have opened as a 1.5-point road favorite but expect to see money continue to come in on them until the line hits -3 – and possibly go higher.

Miami needs this game, they’re playing really well on both sides of the ball and they are going to be going up against a defense that can’t stop anyone these days. On the other hand, the Raiders are in a huge slump, will very likely be without Derek Carr and have virtually nothing to play for here.

It’s the helmet tap for us 🥺 @Tua pic.twitter.com/o3QjnkUAN3

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 13, 2020

Expect bettors to stick with the momentum and back this Miami team throughout the week.