Chargers-Raiders Betting Preview: Trends, Props, Pick For ‘Thursday Night Football’ Game
This one means much more to one team than the other
The Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers will wrap up their regular-season series Thursday night at Allegiant Stadium.
The Raiders narrowly come out on top in the teams' first meeting, scoring a 31-26 triumph at SoFi Stadium in Week 9. Rookie quarterback Justin Herbert gave Las Vegas plenty of trouble in that divisional clash, though, throwing for 326 yards with two touchdowns.
Derek Carr and Co., who at one point looked like a lock for the playoffs, now are watching their postseason hopes slip way. The Raiders have dropped their of their last four, with the lone exception being the miracle, last-second win over the hapless New York Jets. Las Vegas, 7-6, now sits ninth in the AFC standings with a critical matchup against the Miami Dolphins looming in Week 16.
Here is our betting preview for the Chargers-Raiders primetime tilt. The lines and total were collected via consensus data, while the props are from DraftKings.
Los Angeles Chargers at (-3) Las Vegas Raiders
Total: 52.5
BETTING TRENDS
Home field hasn't been much of an advantage for the Raiders in their shiny, new stadium. The Silver and Black are 3-3 against the spread in Las Vegas this season, though they are 1-0 as a home favorite. The Raiders are 3-2 ATS when favored overall in 2020, including the aforementioned win over the Bolts when it was listed at -1.
Something will have to give against the Chargers, who currently own a .500 ATS record outside of Los Angeles. The Bolts are on a pretty serious ATS slide, however, having only notched one win dating back to Week 8. This came after LA started 5-1 ATS to start the season, covering spreads against a trio of Super Bowl hopefuls: the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.
The Chargers have seen the UNDER cash in each of their last three games following seven straight contests in which the OVER prevailed. The Raiders, meanwhile, only have seen the UNDER hit in three of their 13 games to date.
PROPS
First-half line, total
Raiders -1.5, 26.5
First touchdown scorer
Josh Jacobs +600
Darren Waller +700
Austin Ekeler +800
Keenan Allen +850
Nelson Agholor +1200
Hunter Henry +1200
Hunter Renfrow +1500
Passing yards
Justin Herbert over/under 277.5 yards
Derek Carr over/under 264.5 yards
Rushing yards
Josh Jacobs over/under 65.5 yards
Austin Ekeler over/under 56.5 yards
Devontae Booker over/under 21.5 yards
Kalen Ballage over/under 16.5 yards
Receiving yards
Keenan Allen over/under 72.5 yards
Darren Waller over/under 62.5 yards
Nelson Agholor over/under 53.5 yards
Hunter Renfrow over/under 50.5 yards
Hunter Henry over/under 39.5 yards
PICK
Raiders -3
No, the Raiders haven't been playing great football of late, but neither have the Chargers. LA's Week 14 win over the Atlanta Falcons wasn't very inspiring and it came one week after Herbert and Co. were pummeled 45-0 at home by the New England Patriots. The Chargers also struggled to edge the winless Jets.
We're expecting Las Vegas to be in full-on desperation mode. It squandered a golden opportunity last weekend against the Indianapolis Colts. The team ahead of the Raiders in the AFC standings, the Baltimore Ravens, also might not lose another game in the regular season (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, vs. New York Giants, at Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.)
Should the Raiders fall to the 4-9 Chargers, their season effectively is over. We believe Jon Gruden will have his team fired up and ready to go as they fight for their playoff lives under the bright lights.
