NFL Week 16 - Chargers vs. Raiders Betting Odds Preview
The 4-10 San Diego Chargers travel to Oakland to play the 6-8 Raiders in this week's Thursday night matchup. The Chargers snapped a 5 game home losing streak last week with a 30-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins. The Raiders were defeated 30-20 by the Green Bay Packers last week officially eliminating them from the playoffs.
San Diego's defense played well last week as they limited the Dolphins to just 260 yards of total offense including only 44 rushing yards. Miami had only 1 run play that went for more than 7 yards in the entire game. They Dolphins were shut out in the first half and Ryan Tannehill failed to throw a touchdown pass and was sacked 3 times for a loss of 29 yards. Offensively, Philip Rivers had a mixed day as he completed 26 of 36 passes for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns but was intercepted twice. His favorite target was Antonio Gates who had 6 receptions for 88 yards but it was Danny Woodhead who had the biggest day offensively. Woodhead had 6 catches for 50 yards but 3 of his receptions went for touchdowns. He wasn't done as he also rushed the ball 8 times including a 2 yard touchdown in the second quarter which gave the Chargers a 16-0 lead. Donald Brown led a balanced run game as he gained 90 yards on 12 carries. If there was a negative for the offense it was that kicker Josh Lambo missed a field goal and an extra point. Derek Carr threw back-to-back interceptions in the first quarter last week and the Packers were able to score touchdowns off of both of them. The first set the pack up in their own red-zone and the second was a pick-six. Carr and the offense recovered and even took a 3rd quarter lead but couldn't hold on. Carr finished the day with a quarterback rating of 38.5 as he completed 23 of 47 passes for 276 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also had 4 rushes for 42 yards but was sacked 3 times for a loss of 24 yards. His favorite target was Amari Cooper who had 6 receptions for 120 yards and both touchdowns. Cooper has passed 1,000 receiving yards this season and is the first Raiders receiver in the last 10 years to break 1,000 receiving yards. Michael Crabtree also had a productive day as he caught 6 passes for 70 yards. Defensively, they played well as they held Aaron Rodgers to just 204 passing yards and 1 touchdown and 1 interception. They were also able to sack Rodgers twice and had 7 tackles for losses.
The Chargers are 6-8 against the spread this year including 4-2 on the road. Oakland is 7-7 against the spread this year including 2-5 at home. Both of these teams have been eliminated from playoff contention and Oakland is 6 point favorites and has home field advantage.