Carolina Panthers vs. Oakland Raiders Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Oakland Raiders (8-2) will try to extend their winning streak to five games and pick up their third victory at the Coliseum when they host the Carolina Panthers (4-6) as small home favorites. The AFC West-leading Raiders are coming off a "home" game in Mexico City on Monday night, knocking off the Houston Texans 27-20 as 6.5-point chalk to beat the spread for the fourth straight time.

Point spread: The Raiders opened as 4.5-point favorites; the total was 50.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 26.7-22.1 Raiders (NFL picks on every game)

Why the Panthers can cover the spread

Carolina will have more rest than Oakland, which will be playing on a short week and expended a lot of energy in coming back from a late-game deficit to beat Houston. That could be a huge factor here, especially since the altitude of Mexico City may have taken a toll on the Raiders as well.

This is also a bigger game for the defending NFC champion Panthers, who are an impressive 4-1 straight up and 4-0-1 against the spread in their last five games as underdogs, according to the Odds Shark NFL Database.

Why the Raiders can cover the spread

Oakland is riding a lot of momentum right now, especially because it defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos 30-20 in its last true home game before the bye in Week 9. Some may think the Raiders are due for a letdown, but they do not have a big number to cover here and also need to keep winning if they want to win the division.

The Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs play in the Sunday night matchup, so Oakland can guarantee it stays in first place with a victory. The favored team is 4-1 SU and ATS in the past five meetings between the teams, also giving the Raiders an edge.

Smart pick

This game is much more important to Carolina considering the team likely has to win almost all of its remaining games down the stretch to get back to the postseason. While Oakland has obviously been playing better overall, this is a tough spot at home against a hungry bunch of Panthers who know every game is a must-win situation. The Raiders have also lost nine of their last 12 versus NFC South foes, so take Carolina on the NFL lines.

Betting trends

The favored team is 4-1 SU and ATS in its last five games in this matchup.

The total has gone over in 15 of the Panthers' last 20 games on the road.

The Panthers are 4-1 SU and 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games as underdog.

All NFL betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.