Oakland Raiders vs. Los Angeles Chargers 2019: Prediction Against The Spread, Odds, Week 16 Preview

It wasn’t long ago that it appeared the Week 16 matchup between the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers would have major playoff implications. Instead, the two AFC West rivals head into Sunday afternoon’s game with nothing on the line.

The Chargers’ realistic postseason hopes probably disappeared in their first meeting with the Raiders. Los Angeles was defeated by Oakland 26-24 in a Week 10 “Thursday Night Football” matchup, giving the Chargers six losses by early November.

L.A. had Super Bowl aspirations when the year began, coming off a trip to the 2019 divisional playoffs. Injuries and a bunch of poor performances by Philip Rivers have the Chargers on the doorstep of a double-digit loss season.

Oakland was one of the league’s most pleasant surprises through the first 10 games. A 6-4 start briefly put the Raiders in the playoff picture, but it’s been all downhill from there.

A four-game losing streak has knocked Oakland out of wild-card contention.

Los Angeles is a seven-point home favorite over Oakland Sunday. The total is 45.

The Raiders have embarrassed themselves in different ways during their losing streak. They suffered a pair of consecutive 31-point road losses, falling to the New York Jets 34-3 and then to the Kansas City Chiefs 40-9.

The Tennessee Titans beat the Raiders on the road 42-21 in Week 14. Oakland blew its final game in the Bay Area, giving up 17 unanswered second-half points in a 20-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Like the Raiders, the Chargers have only one victory since the two teams met a month and a half ago. It was a 45-10 road win against the Jacksonville Jaguars two weeks ago.

Los Angeles is coming off a 39-10 loss at home against the Minnesota Vikings. The Chargers turned the ball over seven times.

Giveaways have haunted Los Angeles all season long. Rivers is the chief culprit. He was picked off three times in Week 15 to bring his season total to 18 interceptions.

Rivers has thrown 14 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions in the last 10 games. He’s thrown 16 interceptions and taken 21 sacks in the team’s nine losses. Oakland had three interceptions and five sacks when they beat Los Angeles.

Derek Carr was playing well until Oakland’s recent skid. Despite a poor stretch, he’s still thrown 10 fewer interceptions than Rivers.

Only the Chicago Bears have a worse record against the spread than the Chargers. Los Angeles has especially underachieved as a home favorite, going 0-3-1 ATS.

The Chargers pushed a six-point betting line when they needed overtime to beat the Indianapolis Colts at home in the season opener. They’ve since been upset by the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers in L.A.

When it comes to picking a side in Sunday’s game, there’s really only one choice, no matter how poorly Oakland might be playing at the moment. Los Angeles’ fifth-ranked defense might lead them to a victory, but there’s no reason to be confident in the Chargers’ ability to win by a touchdown or more.

Prediction: Los Angeles over Oakland, 20-17