The Las Vegas Raiders (7-6) are favored for just the second time in seven home games as they get ready to host the Los Angeles Chargers (4-9) in the Week 15 Thursday Night Football game. The Raiders have gone 2-4 straight up and 3-3 against the spread at the new Allegiant Stadium after a 44-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts as 2.5-point underdogs.
- Date/Time: December 17, 8:20 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Allegiant Stadium
- TV Coverage: Fox
- Sportsbook Odds: Raiders -3 | O/U 55 (Line History)
- Chargers vs Raiders Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Las Vegas has lost three of its last four games since putting together a three-game winning streak but remains alive for one of the last playoff spots in the AFC. While falling to the Colts last week could prove to be costly, the Raiders have three winnable games in the next three weeks and control their own destiny. Bettors do not seem to be writing them off yet either, as the point spread is up to -3.5 at some sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark, while the total has dropped slightly to 54.5, still higher than it was for the first meeting between these teams in Week 9, which the Raiders won 31-26.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Chargers won for only the second time in seven games last Sunday, edging the Atlanta Falcons 20-17 as 1-point home favorites after Sportsbook as small underdogs. Los Angeles also ended a six-game skid ATS, rewarding backers who have stuck with this team.
The Chargers saw the UNDER cash in their third straight game as well since a 7-0 OVER run in their previous seven, according to the Odds Shark NFL Database.
Quarterback Justin Herbert completed 36 of 44 passes for 243 yards against Atlanta with two touchdowns and one interception, but earning the W for Los Angeles was the most important result for him and his teammates. Herbert had 326 yards and two touchdowns in the first meeting, and he is still favored to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Las Vegas News & Notes
Las Vegas fired defensive coordinator Paul Guenther after Sunday’s loss and promoted defensive line coach Rod Marinelli to take his place for the rest of the season. The Raiders have really struggled on that side of the ball lately, surrendering an average of 37.5 points per game in dropping three of their last four.
The last time their defense took a lot of criticism came following a similar 45-20 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in Week 7, and the unit responded by allowing an average of less than 15 points during a three-game winning streak.
With Guenther gone, there are no more excuses, and the defense must improve soon if Las Vegas is going to find a way to sneak into the playoffs.
Betting Pick: OVER 54.5
The Raiders won the first meeting as 1-point road favorites thanks to a huge defensive stand at the end of the game, one of the many late failures for the Chargers this season. Both teams can score and will put points on the scoreboard in this rematch, and OVER trends for each of them are simply too hard to ignore. Las Vegas will not solve its defensive issues overnight, so bet on another high-scoring affair.
- The OVER is 10-3 in Las Vegas’ last 13 games.
- The Chargers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games.
- The OVER is 8-2 in Los Angeles’ last 10 road games.
