Sunday Night Football Odds: Chargers vs. Raiders Picks & Prediction
Chargers vs. Raiders Odds
| Chargers Odds | -3 |
| Raiders Odds | +3 |
| Over/Under | 49 |
| Date | January 9, 2022 |
| Time | 8:20 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBC |
The Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders will conclude the NFL regular season on Sunday Night Football this weekend at Allegiant Stadium. Entering play, both teams are 9-7 and likely needing a victory to secure a postseason berth. Regardless of the afternoon results, Los Angeles will need a win to earn a Wild Card position. Las Vegas could clinch a Wild Card prior to kickoff if both the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers lose earlier in the day. However, that scenario seems unlikely, due to the Colts being a two-touchdown favorite over the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars. There is a loophole in which both the Chargers and Raiders could qualify for the playoffs if this contest results in a tie. Yet, bettors should not expect both of these teams to agree to a series of kneeldowns to run out the 60 minutes on the game clock.
Oddsmakers are anticipating the Chargers emerging victorious in this intra-division battle, pricing Los Angeles as a field goal favorite on the spread. Now let’s look at each team before locking in our Sunday Night Football pick.
Chargers -3
When these two division rivals met in Week 4, the Chargers dominated the game from the opening kickoff, emerging with a convincing 28-14 victory. Justin Herbert was outstanding, completing 25-of-38 pass attempts, and throwing for three touchdowns. Austin Ekeler scored twice, accumulating 117 rushing yards and 28 receiving yards. The Chargers have one of the best offensive lines in football, some of the best skill position players in the league, and a quarterback that is amongst the best in the game. If the Chargers lose this game, it is unlikely to be the fault of their offense, which has scored 28 points or more in five consecutive weeks.
Linebacker Drue Tranquill is officially listed as questionable for Sunday Night Football. Tranquill’s absence could be a big blow to the Chargers run defense. Even with Tranquill on the field, Los Angeles has struggled of late to slow down opposing ground attacks. Notably, the Houston Texans ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns against the Chargers in Week 16.
Raiders +3
In the first meeting between these two teams, Derek Carr had one of his worst performances of the fall, throwing for only 196 yards, including a costly interception. He was sacked four times and struggled to get much of anything going through the air. Though Carr can make any throw on the football field, his occasional reckless decision-making has held him back from becoming one of the elite signal callers in the NFL. Carr has thrown five interceptions in his last four games, and has 14 total interceptions for the season. Josh Jacobs is listed as questionable for this game with a rib injury, but it would be surprising if he did not suit up in some capacity after logging limited practice sessions all week. The main concern for this offensive attack remains a porous offensive line. Per Pro Football Focus, the Raiders offensive line allowed 23 quarterback pressures in their Week 17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Stopping Joey Bosa could be a problem.
Though the Raiders have allowed the 7th-highest passer rating to opposing quarterbacks this season, their secondary unit has not been that bad. Since Week 11, there are arguments to be made that this secondary unit has been dominant. The Raiders held Joe Burrow to 129 passing yards, Patrick Mahomes to 240 passing yards, and held each of Taylor Heinicke, Nick Mullens, Drew Lock, and Carson Wentz to 186 passing yards or less. Las Vegas has also been much better against the run during the latter half of the campaign, allowing only 3.9 yards-per-attempt since Week 11.
Sunday Night Football Prediction
Per EdgHouse, the Chargers are 4-2 ATS as a favorite this season, but both of their ATS losses came on the road–losing outright by double-digits to the Denver Broncos in Week 12 and the Houston Texans in Week 16. When priced as an underdog this year, the Raiders are 6-4 ATS overall, but only 2-2 ATS when playing at home. Though there is certainly a lot to like about the Chargers, the Raiders are undervalued in this Week 18 affair–assuming that they need to win this game by the time kickoff rolls around. Las Vegas has made significant strides on the defensive side of the ball in the second-half of the season. A lower-scoring affair, and a potential upset could be in order on Sunday.
- Pick: Raiders +3 (-110)
- Pick: Under 49 (-110)
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