‘Thursday Night Football’ Week 14 expert picks: Raiders at Rams

POD staff picks for the “Thursday Night Football” matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Rams.

The Detroit Lions draft pick watch gets an early game this week, as the NFL opens Week 14 with a matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Lions still hold one more draft pick from the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade—the Rams’ 2023 first-round pick—so there is an investment for Detroit in the outcome of this week’s “Thursday Night Football” game. At this time, that pick is slotted in the fourth overall position, but according to ESPN’s projection model, it is expected to land at No. 2 overall once the season is completed.

In order for the Rams’ pick to eventually land that high, Lions fans will very much want the Rams to keep losing—which may not be as tall a task as one would think. Currently, the Rams have shut Matthew Stafford down for the season, his backup, John Wolford, is dealing with a neck injury, and the team is reportedly considering starting Baker Mayfield—who they acquired on Tuesday—at quarterback. On top of that, top receivers Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson are on injured reserve, and All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald has already been ruled out for this game.

Meanwhile, the Raiders have won three in a row—over the Chargers, Seahawks, and Broncos—and are trying to make a push for the Wild Card spot in the AFC. Look for Las Vegas to keep leaning on running back Josh Jacobs, who has 613 yards from scrimmage (rushing and receiving) over the Raiders’ last three games.

The good folks over at DraftKings Sportsbook are currently favoring Las Vegas by almost a touchdown and the POD staff is taking the Raiders to win, but are split on taking or giving the points.

Here is who our staff is picking for this Thursday night’s game:

Here’s how to watch tonight’s edition of “Thursday Night Football”.

Date: Thursday, December 8, 2022
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: SoFi Stadium
TV/Stream: Amazon Prime
Announcers: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaylee Hartung (field reporter)
TV/Stream Replay: Amazon Prime, NFL+ Premium, NFL Network (Replay on Friday)

Enjoy the game and come chat with us in the comments.