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Chargers at Raiders: Game preview, odds, prediction

By Brad Weiss

Dec 24, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) passes the ball against the San Diego Chargers during overtime at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Raiders defeated the San Diego Chargers 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 24, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) passes the ball against the San Diego Chargers during overtime at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Raiders defeated the San Diego Chargers 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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The San Diego Chargers will travel to Oakland to take on the Raiders on Sunday in a classic AFC West showdown.

The last time the San Diego Chargers made the trip to Oakland to take on the Raiders, the Silver and Black were saying goodbye to a legend. In his final game at home for the Raiders, future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson helped lead the team to a 23-20 victory in overtime. On Sunday, the Bolts will once again invade O.co Stadium as they take on the 3-1 Raiders.

The Chargers head into Sunday’s match-up off another tough loss, as they once again let a fourth quarter lead slip away. In fact, if games were only three quarters long, the Chargers would be undefeated on the young season. They blew a 24-3 lead to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, won in Week 2, and then squandered fourth quarter leads against the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints the past two weeks.

Oakland, on the other hand, has gotten out to its best start in over a decade. The Raiders have gone an impressive 3-0 on the road this season, as their only loss came at home against the Atlanta Falcons. The Silver and Black went into Baltimore last week and gutted out a nice 28-27 victory against the Ravens. They will be out for blood in their AFC West opener on Sunday.

The two quarterbacks in this game have gotten off to incredible starts, as Oakland’s Derek Carr and San Diego’s Philip Rivers have combined for 16 touchdowns against one interception this season. Carr is widely regarded as one of the best young quarterbacks in the league, and Rivers has been an incredible starter in the NFL since 2005. There should be plenty of yards to go around in this one.

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Odds

Line: OAK (-3.5)

Over/Under: 49

Both defenses have struggled in the early going, so there could be a ton of points scored on Sunday. The Raiders are playing at an elite level this season and are an early season pick to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Carr has a wide range of weapons at his disposal, and should find easy sledding against a San Diego defense that allowed 35 points last week.

The Chargers got word that cornerback Jason Verrett is done for the season on Wednesday, which means their secondary is even more depleted. Rivers will definitely keep the Bolts in the game throughout, but the defense won’t be able to stop Oakland at home. Expect a high scoring affair, with Oakland coming out on top.

Pick: Raiders 28, Chargers 24

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