Unfortunately for football fans across the country, COVID is back and it’s really having a negative effect on things in more ways than one. For the National Football League, we’re seeing games get postponed and players miss games due to protocols. Clearly, the NFL COVID cases are impacting Las Vegas NFL sportsbooks left and right. Will things be able to change in the near future?
It goes without saying, but COVID cases are on the rise across the NFL in recent weeks and it is a major concern. Folks across the world are worried that we may end up going to games being played with no fans in the stands. At the same time, we could see more and more contests getting pushed back. We saw that in Week 15 between the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns (more below), while the Seahawks vs. Rams game was moved too.
“We have made these schedule changes based on medical advice and after discussion with the [National Football League Players Association] as we are seeing a new, highly transmissible form of the virus this week resulting in a substantial increase in cases across the league,” the NFL said in a statement. “We continue to make decisions in consultation with medical experts to ensure the health and safety of the NFL community.”
The fact of the matter is that with the high cases, the different NFL Vegas odds are being impacted in a major way with guys missing contests. Take a look at the Cleveland Browns for example. Due to the COVID protocols, they were forced to play Monday’s game against the Raiders without quarterback Baker Mayfield and head coach Kevin Stefanski. That put them at a major disadvantage and affects their NFL playoff odds too.
For the New Orleans Saints, they were without head coach Sean Payton on Sunday Night Football going up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In shocking fashion, though, the team was able to pull off a win going up against Tom Brady and Co. No one saw this coming, especially with Payton out of the game. This tells you just how much of an impact COVID is having. Things aren’t slowing down too, which is worrisome.
We of course don’t have to tell you that the Raiders dealing with COVID issues isn’t good for local betting at all. We saw just how things changed in Week 15. As we stated above, the Las Vegas game against Cleveland indeed was postponed. It was supposed to be played on Saturday, but then had to be moved to Monday due to all the COVID issues.
Imagine had the game actually been played on Saturday? Fans would have packed the Las Vegas sportsbooks as usual after checking the best rated online betting sites for odds and then put a wager in. Then, though, when it was announced that the game was being pushed back because of the COVID issues on both sides, this likely prevented folks from laying bets down.
They were probably worried that the game wouldn’t even be played, especially with so many players testing positive and being placed on the COVID-list. Fortunately, the game was able to be played on Monday evening, but the damage was surely done from a betting standpoint. The hope is that there will be no more postponements for the Raiders. Fans were quite frustrated with the Cleveland contest being moved.
With the new testing system the NFL is using, fully vaccinated players are being tested frequently too and many are testing positive even if they’re not experiencing symptoms. It truly is up in the air how things are going to shape out the rest of the season. Imagine if Aaron Rodgers, Brady, Patrick Mahomes or other superstar players on big teams have to miss games. This could impact the Super Bowl too.
In some other disheartening news for fans,the Raiders AFC odds continue to spiral down due to poor play. You already know the postponements and players testing positive is having an impact on that. With the team not able to feature its full roster, it’s only making things more complicated from a competition standpoint. Things may get worse in the coming weeks.
Per the oddsmakers, Las Vegas doesn’t have a chance to win the division, as the Kansas City Chiefs have basically locked things up. Right now, the Chiefs hold -1900 odds to win the AFC West, while the Chargers are at +1200 and the Broncos are at +8500. The Raiders looked poised to try and win the division earlier in the season, but things just haven’t gone according to plan.
At this point, it’d be a stunner if Las Vegas were able to make it to the playoffs. This is a difficult pill to swallow for the fanbase, especially with Jon Gruden resigning as head coach earlier in the year and Henry Ruggs getting cut after his DUI accident which killed a young woman. It’s been a year to forget for the Raiders. Supporters are hoping 2022 can be a bit more positive.
