Vegas Play of the Day: Oakland at Kansas City

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016 | 9:32 a.m.

We’re entering the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won the 2015-2016 season, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015. Bern stepped away in the middle of the 2016-2017 season with a 16-12 record and $13,317 bankroll, with Mike Grimala taking his place.

Oakland +155 money line at Kansas City: $500 to win $775:

Since this is my first Play of the Day appearance, let me start with a quick story: When I moved to Las Vegas four years ago, I was excited to try my hand at sports betting. (Not exactly an original story so far.) The first wager I placed was a four-team NFL parlay. My second bet was another NFL four-teamer the following Sunday. And my third bet was an ambitious five-team parlay the next week.

Not only did I lose all three parlays, I lost every single individual pick, every week.

I went 0-13.

I don't know if I've gotten better at gambling since then, because I didn't stick around for the ensuing hot streak. I got out of the sports betting business and focused on other pursuits, like my Netflix queue. Hopefully my good fortune has been lying dormant, unused, waiting to reward my next 13 picks. Maybe it will be unleashed now that I'll be making regular Play of the Day wagers. I honestly don't know.

There's only one way to find out, however, so I'm putting $500 on the underdog Oakland Raiders to win outright at Kansas City on Thursday night. I know Oakland's last loss came against Kansas City on Oct. 16, and I know that the Chiefs' defense held Derek Carr and Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper to a season-low 10 points in that game. But the Raiders have caught fire since then and now appear to be the hottest team in the league. Oakland has gone 6-0 in its last six games, averaging 32.2 points with a low of 27, even hanging 30 on the Broncos during that span.

So as intimidating as it is to go up against the surging Kansas City defense at Arrowhead Stadium, I think the Raiders are up to the task. If this turns into a Thursday-night shootout, the Raiders are more capable of playing in the 30s than the Chiefs, and Carr has proven to be a guy who will win close games late.

Give me Carr, give me the Raiders and give me the first winner in what is sure to be a long (and long overdue) hot streak.

Current Standings: Brewer (21-16-1, $11,965), Keefer (26-21-2, $10,051), Granger (2-6, $7,630)

Follow Mike on Twitter at Twitter.com/MikeGrimala