Raiders vs. Chargers line, odds and predictions: Our experts like Las Vegas to win on Thursday night
The AFC West bottom dwellers face off as the Los Angeles Chargers head to Sin City as slight underdogs to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chargers opened as favorites, but Justin Herbert’s season-ending finger injury changed everything. Neither team has had much success as of late. The Chargers have lost four of their last five games, and the Raiders are looking to snap a three-game losing streak.
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Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET Thursday at Allegiant Stadium. The game will be televised on Amazon Prime.
The Chargers offense had already struggled before Herbert’s season-ending injury, scoring a combined 23 points over their last three games. Backup Easton Stick saw his first regular season action since 2020, where he had a single passing attempt and carry. Austin Ekeler’s bounce back from his recent struggles becomes much more critical with Herbert out. Despite whispers of the Chargers backfield potentially becoming more committee-like, Ekeler produced just his fourth game of 100-plus total yards in Week 14. The Raiders are top 10 in rushing yards allowed per game (127.4), so it’s a promising matchup for Ekeler’s resurgence to continue.
Chargers star wide receiver Keenan Allen will miss this game with a heel injury.
While Las Vegas trots out a bottom-five offense in points per game (15.5), its defense has held its own. The Raiders allow just 19.9 points per game and have only given up 14.4 points per game since interim coach Antonio Pierce took over. Pierce has looked to win with the run game and defense; the problem is the run game isn’t holding up its side of the bargain. The Raiders average the fewest rushing yards per game at 80.6, with star running back Josh Jacobs rushing for over 100 yards just twice in 13 games. Thanks to a short week, Jacobs is in danger of missing the game, as he was injured on Sunday versus the Vikings. He is questionable for Thursday’s game.
The Raiders considered changing starting quarterbacks, but Aidan O’Connell will still start. He may have a short leash.
All odds from BetMGM. Looking for NFL tickets? Buy them here.
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(Photo of Easton Stick: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
