San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders NFL Point Spreads

Written September 25, 2008 by Jack Jones

The San Diego Chargers are hoping their Monday Night Football win over the New York Jets will help them get their season started. The Oakland Raiders are coming off another heartbreaking loss and another week of uncertainty surrounding their head coach Lane Kiffin. That all adds up to Chargers being 7.5 point favorites in Oakland with a total set at 45.

The Chargers were supposed to be one of the teams to beat in the AFC this year, and with the Tom Brady injury bringing the New England Patriots back to the pack, many thought this was the year for San Diego to make their run at the Super Bowl. However, after three games this defense has allowed 94 points, which is the most in the AFC. A couple of tough, last second losses and the weak defense is a big reason the Chargers come into this contest at 1-2.

Oakland is in even worse shape than that, even though the Raiders are also sitting at 1-2. Kiffin has struggled as the Raiders coach, but who wouldn’t with the guys he has to work with. After going 4-12 a year ago, he was on a short leash. It seemed that blowing a nine-point lead in the last five minutes of the game against the Buffalo Bills might be the final straw, but owner Al Davis has yet to give Kiffin his walking papers, even though there has been loads of speculation that he was prepared to do so.

Kiffin will try to stay focused and improve on the dismal season. It started with a blowout loss at home to the Denver Broncos, 41-14, on Monday Night Football. Even though they beat the Chiefs in Week 2, last week’s collapse was devastating. The Raiders let Buffalo march down the field to score twice, and then turned around and gave them the ball back with two straight three-and-outs to allow Rian Lindell to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired.

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Offensively, quarterback JaMarcus Russell is not coming along very quickly. He hasn’t been picked off yet, but he’s only completed 51% of his throws for 391 yards in three games.

It might be tough for Oakland to get things turned around here against the Chargers, a team that they haven’t been able to beat in five years. During that time there have been nine losses and in each one they have failed to hold the Chargers to less than 21, nor have they been able to put up more than 17 themselves. If you think Oakland can cover the +8 spread, bet the game at BetUS and get up to 135% in signup bonuses!

This might be just what the doctor ordered for the Chargers to get them back on track. This team is very close to being 3-0 if it wasn’t for a couple of late game heroics by Jay Cutler and Jake Delhomme, even though the defense is giving up more than 400 yards per contest. The team is coming off a blowout 48-29 win over the Jets though, which could give them something to build on for the rest of the year.

Rivers looked good in that game when he threw three touchdown passes and 250 yards while only being intercepted once. He is leading the NFL in passer rating with 124.8 and has nine scores to only two picks.

While Rivers has thrived, LaDainian Tomlinson has battled injuries and is yet to get going. He had 26 totes for only 67 yards on Monday night. If you think he gets back on track here then you might want to bet the -7.5 point spread at Sportsbook.com, where you get a 100% bonus on your first winning wager!

Predicted Score: Chargers 27, Raiders 20

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