by Rod Pearson
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023
Game Time: 4:05 pm ET, Sunday, October 1, 2023
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Where to Watch: CBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Raiders +5.5, Chargers -5.5; Over/Under: 47.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Raiders +5.5, Chargers -5.5; Over/Under: 47.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Raiders +5.5, Chargers -5.5; Over/Under: 47.5 points
Season Record
Las Vegas Raiders: 1-2 (2nd place, AFC West)
Los Angeles Chargers: 1-2 (3rd place, AFC West)
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Recent Form
Las Vegas Raiders: lost their last game at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-18.
Los Angeles Chargers: won their last game on the road against the Minnesota Vikings 28-24.
Las Vegas Raiders vs Los Angeles Chargers Preview and Analysis
The Raiders are entering this game with a 1-2 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-1 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-18. Jimmy Garoppolo was the starting QB and he completed 28/44 passes for 324 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Josh Jacobs led the team in rushing yards with 62. Davante Adams led the receivers with 172 receiving yards on 13 receptions and 2 TDs. Robert Spillane led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Maxx Crosby led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception in that game.
The Chargers are entering this game with a 1-2 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-1 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against the Minnesota Vikings 28-24. Justin Herbert was the starting QB and he completed 40/47 passes for 405 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Joshua Kelley led the team in rushing yards with 12. Keenan Allen led the receivers with 215 receiving yards on 18 receptions and 1 TD. Kenneth Murray Jr. led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Tuli Tuipulotu, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Joey Bosa, and Morgan Fox each led the defense in sacks with 1. Kenneth Murray Jr. came away with the only interception for them in that game.
Raiders vs Chargers Prediction
The current betting odds have the Raiders listed as a 5.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Raiders haven't looked great in their last 2 games but they do have a divisional win under their belt already with a road win over the Broncos in week 1. The Broncos haven't been great as they are 0-3 to start the season so that win for the Raiders doesn't look amazing, but the Chargers are also 1-2 this season and were very close to going 0-3 last week. The Chargers pulled off their 1st win of the season in Minnesota but that was a close game which they almost lost in the end and they are going to have a much tougher time winning now that Mike Williams is out. They have a really weak run game with Ekeler out and this is only going to hurt their injury prone offense even more. Their defense hasn't been good either as they have been giving up a ton of points in their first 3 games while the Raiders defense has actually been a lot better despite getting blown up in Buffalo week 2. The Raiders have good players on their offense that will help burn this Chargers defense already giving up a ton of points and the Chargers offense is getting weaker and weaker each week with their missing players. The Raiders are going to play hard in this divisional game and even if they don't win it, they will keep it close. The best way to place a bet here is on the Raiders to cover the spread in this game.
Raiders Chargers Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Sunday, October 1, 2023 (4:05 pm ET start time) is Chargers 27 Raiders 24.
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NFL Betting Trends
Las Vegas Raiders: 5-9 ATS in a road game where the total is greater than or equal to 45.5. 3-9 ATS after gaining 75 or less rushing yards last game. 13-7 UNDER in road games. 11-5 UNDER after playing a game at home.
Los Angeles Chargers: 7-0 ATS after 2 straight games with 40 or more pass attempts. 10-2 ATS after gaining 99 or less rushing yards in 2 straight games. 22-6 UNDER after gaining 350 or more passing yards in the last game. 11-1 UNDER after a win by 6 or less points.
Key Injuries
Las Vegas Raiders: C. Smith (S) Ques Sun - Illness. J. Garoppolo (QB) Ques Sun - Concussion. C. Jones (DE) Out indefinitely - Personal. B. Facyson (CB) Out indefinitely - Shin. D. Wagner (OT) I-R - Undisclosed. B. Brown (RB) I-R - Undisclosed. A. Butler (DT) I-R - Arm. A. Walter (RB) I-R - Undisclosed.
Los Angeles Chargers: M. Williams (WR) out for season - Knee. E. Kendricks (LB) Ques Sun - Personal. C. Hinton (DL) Ques Sun - Back. D. James Jr. (S) Ques Sun - Hamstring. A. Ekeler (RB) Out indefinitely - Ankle. O. Ogbonnia (DL) Out indefinitely - Knee. J. Guyton (WR) Out indefinitely - Knee.
Notable Quotes
“Those are plays obviously we don’t want to make. Jimmy makes a lot of good plays, but obviously when the quarterback holds the ball, he holds the fortune of our team also in his hands when he’s doing those things. ... A big key obviously was for us to take care of the ball. We didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight.” - Josh McDaniels after his team’s loss against the Steelers in their last game.
“There were just so many things in that game that happened that tested the patience of our team, the connection of our team. All three phases just hung tough.” - Brandon Staley after his team’s win against the Vikings in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Las Vegas Raiders
WR ADAMS, DAVANTE
WR Meyers, Jakobi
WR Renfrow, Hunter
TE Hooper, Austin
QB GAROPPOLO, JIMMY
RB Jacobs, Josh
FB Johnson, Jakob
Los Angeles Chargers
WR Johnston, Quentin
WR Palmer, Joshua
WR ALLEN, KEENAN
TE Everett, Gerald
QB Herbert, Justin
RB Ekeler, Austin
Statistical Leaders
Las Vegas Raiders
Passing: J. Garoppolo (709)
Rushing: J. Jacobs (108)
Receiving: D. Adams (322)
Touchdowns: D. Adams (3)
Los Angeles Chargers
Passing: J. Herbert (939)
Rushing: J. Kelley (142)
Receiving: K. Allen (402)
Touchdowns: D. Parham Jr. (3)
Coaches:
Las Vegas Raiders: Josh McDaniels (2nd season)
Los Angeles Chargers: Brandon Staley (3rd season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
