Raiders vs Chargers Odds & Picks Week 1: Harbaugh's Debut

It's time to break down Raiders vs Chargers odds & picks for Week 1, with Jim Harbaugh's big debut with Los Angeles.

Harbaugh was brought in to change things in Los Angeles, but I expect a lot of the same things we saw last year in this Week 1 contest. Give me some boring football for an easy UNDER bet.

Here are my picks and a breakdown for the Raiders vs Chargers Week 1:

Raiders vs Chargers Odds Week 1

Las Vegas Raiders vs Los Angeles Chargers, Sept. 8, 4:05 pm ET

Odds as of September 3rd, from Caesars Sportsbook

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Raiders vs Chargers Picks Week 1

UNDER 40.5 Points (-105)

This game has UNDER written all over it. The Chargers and Raiders both ranked bottom-10 in football last year in terms of points per game, both averaging under 20.5.

Neither squad really addressed core offensive issues, either. The Chargers lost Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler from the offense, while the Raiders are going with long-time game manager Gardner Minshew at QB this year. Maybe Justin Herbert’s return at QB will spark the Chargers, but he’s been battling a foot injury all training camp so I expect a slow start from him (I’ll get into that more in the prop bet below).

This is also a bet where I have to trust the trends. Five of the Chargers’ final seven games went UNDER 40 points last season while four of the Raiders’ final eight contests went UNDER the same mark. Also worth noting, the Colts averaged just 19.2 total points in Minshew’s last five starts as QB last year.

Raiders vs Chargers Prop Pick Week 1

Gardner Minshew To Have More Rushing Yards Than Justin Herbert (+150)

This might be my favorite prop of the entire Week 1 slate. Herbert has been battling plantar fascia in his foot since July and was in a walking boot for two weeks. He didn’t play in a single preseason game and his mobility is certain to be impacted in Week 1.

Herbert did average 17.5 rushing yards per game last year, but in five of his 13 contests, he rushed for fewer than six yards. Minshew averaged just 7.2 rushing yards in his starts last year but had four games where he rushed for six or more yards. I think Herbert will be kept in the pocket in this one, giving Minshew the opportunity to beat his opponent's rushing yards total with just a few scrambles.

Pick made as of Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 2:32 pm ET

Raiders vs Chargers Betting Trends