BEST LINES:  Pinnacle  -1 -111 BET365 -1 -105 SportsInteraction  -1-110 5DIMES  -1 -110

Posted at 10:40 AM EST.

4:00 PM EST. Note the late afternoon start time. The Rams are on the cusp of becoming one of the NFL's elite teams and they don't appear to be taking this preseason that seriously. Last year, the Rams went 2-2 and that was under this new regime. If head coach Sean McVay wasn't going to force it in his first season when the Rams were still way under the radar, he's certainly not going to risk anything here. Just one injury can derail an entire season and most of these coaches know that. However, many of them have an axe to grind and/or something to prove or want to set a “winning tone” and go all out. That McVay appears to be taking a sensible approach makes this game tonight even more appealing, as Raider Nation is sure to take over the Colosseum and Jon Gruden will likely be looking to make a statement in his second go-round in charge of the Silver and Black.

If you listen to Sirius NFL Radio, you know that they have been traveling from training camp to training camp throughout the preseason interviewing players and coaches ahead of the 2018 campaign. Well this week, they were with the Raiders in Napa. Listening to the rotation of players coming through, it was clear new football czar Jon Gruden had a singular focus this offseason. If you're a veteran castoff, you're perfect for the Raiders. Sound familiar? If not, go find some NFL Films videos on YouTube that tell the tale of what it meant to be a Raider and the mindset those legendary players had under former owner and coach Al Davis. Gruden is a Davis loyalist and the embodiment of the philosophies that the trailblazing Davis used to run his Raiders’ teams. Gruden has been criticized that the game may have passed him by while he spent the last few years in the broadcast booth, but they said many of the same things about Davis in his later years as well. Gruden will have a massive chip on his shoulder, just like the castaways he's brought in to solidify the core of this year's roster. "Chucky" is 31-16 lifetime in the preseason and has only had one losing exhibition campaign. The autumn wind is a pirate, blustering in from the sea. Expect a pillaging in L.A. tonight.

Open an account today at and take advantage of their -104 style pricing on sides and totals, which is 60% better than other sportsbooks.