Las Vegas Raiders vs. Los Angeles Chargers Odds & Game Pick (2021)
Derek Carr and the red-hot Raiders head to Los Angeles to take on Justin Herbert one week after his Chargers overcame the mighty Chiefs. Now he will face the unbeaten Raiders, whose QB leads the NFL in passing. Las Vegas’ offense isn’t just flying high through the air, but they’ve had some surprise contributions on the ground as well. With both facets rolling, the Raiders lead the NFL in yards with 471 per game. Herbert and Chargers are armed for a shootout too. The QBs passer rating of 125 last week was the best performance of his career. Which blazing team will continue to light the NFL on fire on Monday night?
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Pags’ NFL Picks YTD: 9-3-0 (+6.92 units)
Details
- Opening Line: Los Angeles -3
- Current Line: Los Angeles -3
- Over/Under: 51.5
- Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
- Start Time: 8:15 PM ET
- Last Meeting: Chargers 30, Raiders 27
Overview
A lot has been made of Las Vegas’ 2021 offensive explosion, but their revamped defense has been a large part of their winning ways. The organization brought in DE Yannick Ngakoue to compliment Maxx Crosby, and he has done more than that. Ngakoue is the Raiders sack leader through three games. Gus Bradley’s scheme has helped make life difficult on opposing QBs. With their offense playing at a high level, the defense isn’t under as much pressure to perform. It has been the perfect start for Las Vegas.
Los Angeles has their own Top 10 defense. Joey Bosa leads the unit that ranks 7th in points allowed (20) and has already forced opponents into 6 turnovers. A lot of that success can be attributed to their depth in the secondary. However, the Chargers will have to defend the run better if they want success going forward. They are among the worst in the league in rushing yards allowed and yards per attempt.
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Trends
- Raiders are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 AFC West games
- Totals have gone OVER in 7 of the Raiders last 8 games overall
- Chargers are 3-10-1 in their previous 14 games as a HOME FAVORITE
- Totals have gone OVER in 4 of the Chargers last 5 games versus AFC West
- Las Vegas leads the all-time series 65-55-2
Bottom Line
Each defense has its strengths, but these two offenses are playing well enough to expose the weaknesses. FanDuel Sportsbook‘s total of 51.5 isn’t going to hold. The more challenging decision is how much you believe in the Raiders’ good start. It feels like there is something here, but not a strong enough feeling to lay an entire unit. So, we will take the three points and drop it down to a half unit play on the visitors from Las Vegas.
Prediction: Los Angeles 28, Las Vegas 27
The Picks: Las Vegas +3 | 0.5 units, OVER 51.5 | 1.0 units
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Aaron Pags is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Aaron, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyTriage.