We're all in favor of the long shot? And who isn't?
It's fun to take in a trip to the horse tracks, for instance, and place a few bucks on some slow horse named Old Glue Shoes or Sow My Wild Oats to see if perhaps the planets are aligned or the mud on the track changes things enough for teh underdog to actually win. When the longest odds are forced to pay out, it's exciting for everyone—even if you didn't end up making such a wager on your own.
With that much established, there is a difference between a long shot or an underdog and the odds produced by FanDuel regarding the Las Vegas Raiders after having lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Week 9.
Who knew that odds could even reach this figure?
To be specific, the latest updated odds for this year's winner of the AFC West are out, and if someone really, truly believed in the Raiders to shock everyone and rebound in the second half of the season, you could make a pretty penny if you were right.
Over at FanDuel, the Raiders odds to win the AFC West have gotten a bit out of hand (H/T: Reddit u/BloatedBeyondBelief) pic.twitter.com/WZyl1wdtT0
— Matt Conner (@MattConnerAA) October 31, 2024
Yeah, that's the Raiders listed at +200000 odds to win the AFC West. No, that is not a typo. That's a two with five zeroes attached.
That means for every single dollar bet on the Raiders, the payout from Vegas or a sports book would be $2,000. Putting $100 on the Raiders right now would pay a major part of your mortgage.
Of course, no one should believe in the Raiders at this point in the franchise's timeline. An interim coaching hire looks suspect. They're wasting the prime seasons of their best player's career in Maxx Crosby and they're no closer to finding the answer at quarterback than they were five years ago.
In other words, while these odds might look crazy, the Raiders will keep giving ridiculous odds for the foreseeable future—and at no time should they be expected to pay out.