Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Oakland Raiders (10-3) are hoping some extra time off will help them recover from their first loss in seven games when they visit the San Diego Chargers (5-8) Sunday as small road chalk.

The Raiders are coming off a 21-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Week 14 Thursday night game and still have hopes of winning the AFC West with a strong finish to the season.

Point spread: The Raiders opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total was 51 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (view line updates and matchup report).

NFL pick, via OddsShark computer: 24.9-24.0 Chargers (NFL picks on every game).

Why the Raiders can cover the spread

Oakland has gone an impressive 6-1 against the spread in its last seven road meetings with San Diego. While that includes only three wins straight up, this is the best Raiders team since they won the AFC during the 2002 season, which is also the last time they made the playoffs.

They won the first meeting with the Chargers 34-31 in Week 5 and barely failed to cover the spread as 3.5-point home favorites. However, running back Latavius Murray missed that game, and he was one of the few bright spots at Kansas City with 103 yards on 22 carries.

Why the Chargers can cover the spread

San Diego has dropped three of four SU and ATS but will be a dangerous spoiler team down the stretch as long as quarterback Philip Rivers stays healthy. He has an outside shot to set a new personal best for touchdown passes and remains on track to throw for more than 4,000 yards in four straight years.

The Chargers have also played well recently in rebound situations following a loss, going 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games under that scenario.

Smart pick

Oakland is 8-1 ATS in its last nine road games and suffered its first loss away from home this season against the Chiefs after a 5-0 road start. The Raiders have ton of fans in San Diego and Southern California too, which makes this almost like a home game for them and takes away any real home-field advantage for the Chargers.

That would help explain why they have performed so well there, and bettors on the NFL lines should expect another win and cover in this spot.

Betting trends

The Raiders are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games on the road against the Chargers.

The Chargers are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games after a loss.

The Raiders are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games on the road.

All NFL lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.