It’s been another disappointing season for the San Diego Chargers, who not only compete in the strongest division in football, but have come up with creative ways to lose games all season. One of those losses was against the Oakland Raiders when a botched hold on a potential game-tying field goal cost the Chargers a shot at winning the game. But with their luck, the field goal would have sailed wide anyway. San Diego is hoping for a change in their fortunes in this Week 15 contest.
This matchup in Week 15 of the regular season will take place on Sunday, December 18, 2016, at 4:25 p.m. ET at Qualcomm Stadium.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Oakland Raiders -2.5
San Diego Chargers +2.5
Over/Under 50.5
Odds Analysis
The Chargers covered as 3.5-point dogs in the first meeting and should have had a better result. But that was back in Week 5 and plenty has changed since then. The line opened at Raiders -3 and was surprisingly wagered down to -2.5. We could see more action and movement on the spread as the week progresses, so it would be a good time to back the Raiders before that number spikes.
Injury Report
Karl Joseph – Oakland’s starting safety missed the last game with a toe injury and the Chiefs took advantage with big plays in the passing game in the first half to build a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Without Joseph in the middle of the field watch for the Chargers to attack with their tight end sets.
Melvin Gordon – It took a season but Gordon became the back the Chargers were looking for when they drafted him in 2015. But Gordon, the league’s fourth-leading rusher, had his season cut short due to a hip and knee injury in Carolina. Gordon had given the offense some balance it lacked in the past.
Matchup to Watch
When you handle the football as often as Rivers, mistakes will happen. In the past his pin-point passes and dramatic comebacks have been enough to overshadow some of the miscues. But that’s not the case this season, and particularly in the past four games. Rivers turned the ball over five times against the Panthers with three picks and two lost fumbles, and he’s thrown 10 interceptions over the past four outings. Not surprisingly the Chargers have lost three of the four games.
San Diego is tied for the most takeaways in the league, which is a positive. But on the flip side, the Chargers have coughed the ball up a NFL high 30 times with Rivers tossing 17 interceptions, the most of any quarterback. The Chargers have turned the ball over multiple times in nine games and their minus-5 turnover differential would be much worse if not for their ball-hawking defense.
Free ATS Pick
The Raiders had a few extra days to rest the pinkie finger of Derek Carr and that should be a boost after he played his worst game of the season in Thursday night’s loss to the Chiefs. Give some credit to K.C.’s defense, but Carr obviously wasn’t right and the finger was bothering him. He completed just 17 of 41 attempts for 117 yards and Oakland lost its position as leader of the AFC West. Expect a better performance from Carr and the offense as they get back to being one of the most explosive units in the league.
Based on the schedule and location, the Chargers will be the home team. But the Raiders always travel well to Southern California and given the state of the San Diego franchise, this will seem more like a home game than any of the others played at Qualcomm. And that has to be discouraging to the Chargers. Also discouraging is the injury situation. Gordon is out on the offensive side and Joey Bosa is likely out on the defense, joining a slew of other talented players on the shelf. Look for the Raiders to bounce back with a cover win against the lame-duck home team.
NFL Odds: Raiders 29, Chargers 24
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