Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers Week 1 Preview: Best Bet, Odds, and Prediction
Chargers Aim for Early Division Edge Against Raiders in Week 1 Clash
Dan Karpuc - Aug 28, 2024, 4:19pm EDT
Week 1 Matchup Preview: Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
Date: September 8, 2024, 4:05 PM ET
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
BetMGM Odds: Chargers -185, Chargers -3.5, O/U 42.5
The NFL season kicks off with an AFC West showdown as the Las Vegas Raiders visit the Los Angeles Chargers in a Week 1 matchup at SoFi Stadium. The Chargers, looking to establish dominance early in the division, are favored with BetMGM setting the odds at -185 and a spread of -3.5. The Raiders, aiming to upset their division rivals on the road, will need a strong performance to kickstart their season. With the over/under set at 42.5, this game is expected to be a competitive and moderately scored battle. In this article, we’ll break down the best bets, odds, and predictions for this exciting Week 1 contest.
My Best Bet: Chargers -185 ML
If this moves down to -2.5, I’d be comfortable with it, but for now, I’ll grab the moneyline. I think there’s a chance the Raiders could end up being the worst team in the NFL this season and last season, they went winless (0-7) when allowing 22-plus points and winless (0-4) against top 10 run offenses. Why does that matter?
Well, we know what’s going to happen when the Chargers have the football. Under new HC Jim Harbaugh and new OC Greg Roman, they’re going to run, even with Justin Herbert under center. The last time those coaches worked together (49ers from 2011-2014), the Niners ranked 3rd-lowest in drop back rate and 2nd-lowest in passing plays per game. In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chargers took tackle Joe Alt and passed on talented wideouts and signed both Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, who will likely split carries in the backfield. This team is going to establish the run and Herbert will likely be more effective than he was last season due to the threat of the ground game.
New Chargers DC Jesse Minter will inherit a defense that now includes a healthy Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa and I really like this unit’s upside against Gardner Minshew and a Raiders offense filled with question marks. Since the Chargers moved to LA in 2017, the Raiders have gone 2-5 SU on the road against them and I expect that record to move to 2-6 after this one
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