Can Chargers Back the NFL Odds Against Raiders in Regular Season Finale?

Can Chargers Back the NFL Odds Against Raiders in Regular Season Finale?

Written by on December 29, 2017

Philip Rivers and the NFL Odds favorite Los Angeles Chargers will look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive when they take on Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders in their Week 17 AFC West divisional matchup and regular-season finale. While Los Angeles needs some help to reach the playoffs, it starts with a win in this contest if the Bolts are to have any hope. Now, let’s find out if they’ll get it and cover the chalk while doing so.

Oakland Raiders (6-9) at Los Angeles Chargers (8-7) NFL Odds & Expert Pick

  • When: Sunday, December 31, 2017, 4:25 PM ET
  • Where: StubHub Center
  • TV: CBS
  • Radio: 95.7 FM (Oakland) / 640 AM (Los Angeles)
  • Streaming Option: NFL Live
  • NFL Odds: Chargers -7 (Over/Under at 42 points)

Weather Forecast

  • Partly Cloudy: 18°C/65°F
  • Humidity: 55%
  • Precipitation: 0%
  • Cloud Cover: 56%
  • Wind: 5 mph W
  • Stadium Type: Open

Week 17 NFL Betting Odds & Expert Pick: Jacksonville at Tennessee

Team Records

  • All: Oakland Raiders 6-9 / Los Angeles Chargers 8-7
  • Home: Oakland Raiders 4-4 / Los Angeles Chargers 4-3
  • Away: Oakland Raiders 2-5 / Los Angeles Chargers 4-4
  • ATS: Oakland Raiders 5-8-2 / Los Angeles Chargers 8-6-1
  • Over/Under: Oakland Raiders 5-10 / Los Angeles Chargers 4-11

Why Bet on the Oakland Raiders NFL Odds at +7?

Why bet on the Raiders in their Week 17 finale? There really isn’t a good reason outside of the fact that the eight-point spread looks a little high. The Raiders have rolled over like trained dogs with their playoff hopes on the line. Oakland has lost three consecutive games including their uninspiring 19-10 loss to Philadelphia in Week 16 on Monday night and now, they can only hope to play spoiler to the Chargers slim hopes one year after looking like one of the best young teams in all of football. Derek Carr hasn’t been awful in completing 62.4 percent of his passes for 3,253 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, but he also hasn’t looked like the superstar franchise savior he did a year ago. The addition of veteran running back Marshawn Lynch hasn’t worked out quite so well and now the Raiders will hit the offseason with some serious question marks.

Why Bet on the Los Angeles Chargers NFL Odds at -7?

Why bet on the Chargers in Week 17? Well, because they’re desperate to reach the playoffs and Oakland clearly isn’t anywhere near a juggernaut this season. The Bolts have won five of their last six games and beat the New York Jets 14-7 one week after taking a damaging 14-7 road loss against the division rival Chiefs. The Chargers need help to get into the playoffs. In addition to defeating the Raiders in Week 17, they also need the Tennessee Titans to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars and either that Miami beats Buffalo or Baltimore defeats Cincinnati. The Chargers come in as the favorite at the NFL Odds for Week 17. “If we got nine wins and it was enough to go to the playoffs, then after the game we will be super fired up,” Rivers said. “And if it’s not, you still want to finish up the season in the right way.” Again though, they know they need to take care of business by beating the Raiders. “I can’t find one yet where we can lose and still make it,” Rivers said. “We can only control what we can control. Shoot, I don’t think any of us are going to be carried away over what else is going on and then not take care of our business.”

Latest Betting Trends for NFL Week 17

  • Oakland is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against LA Chargers
  • Oakland is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing LA Chargers
  • The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Oakland’s last 17 games when playing on the road against LA Chargers
  • LA Chargers is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games at home
  • LA Chargers is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oakland
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Chargers’s last 6 games when playing Oakland

Expert Analysis and Prediction

While I’m not real fond of the 8-point spread in this contest, I’m going to urge you to back the L.A. Chargers seeing as how Oakland hasn’t scored more than 17 points in any of their last three games. Not only that, but I don’t think Oakland is going to play their franchise quarterback for the entirety of this now, meaningless matchup. Oakland is an awful 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 road games and just 3-8-2 ATS in their last 13 games overall and that says all I need to know about Oakland’s chances of covering the spread in this affair. I like Rivers and the Bolts to narrowly cover the chalk, even though 56 percent of public bettors are backing the Raiders in this one. Pick: Los Angeles Chargers -7.5