Deposit Instantly Using Your Credit Card at Sportsbook.com!

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers NFL Week 14 Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

What a disaster the 2008 season has been for the San Diego Chargers. Picked among the favorite to win the Super Bowl by NFL odds makers, the Bolts have bit the big one with just a 4-8 record this season. The only thing the Chargers have going for themselves this week is a date with a team they have already beaten this season. Odds makers feel San Diego will beat them again and have listed the Chargers as the 10-point favorite with the total set at 43.

Three games in back of Denver with four to play, San Diego’s playoff hopes are slim to none, but they will look to save face by handing the Raiders their tenth loss of the season this week. The Chargers have lost five of six, including three in a row, and have given NFL betting backers a headache by dropping five of their last six against the spread. With L.T. hampered by a turf toe injury all season long and with backup Michael Turner helping to turn things around in Atlanta, the Chargers have not gotten anything out of their ground game. It has forced them to be a one dimensional attack and the offense has struggled because of it. Phillip Rivers has been up to the challenge and has put together some good numbers this season, but no one man can do it all himself. The defense has also been lackluster at best with the injury to Shawne Merriman really setting back the San Diego pass rush. The good news this week is that the Chargers will be home, where they are outscoring opponents by an average of 4.8 points this season. The other bit of good news is that they’ll be playing a team they have defeated five straight times and have covered the spread in four of those. If you want to make your NFL picks on San Diego to cover the spread this week, bet the Chargers at -10 at BetUS and receive up to a 50% sign up bonus.

After looking absolutely pathetic on offense for four straight games, the Raiders busted out to score 31 points in a surprise road win over division leader Denver. The Raiders were an 8.5-point underdog for that contests and are facing even steeper odds this Thursday night. Unfortunately, Oakland fell right back into its old ways and scored just 13 points in a home loss to Kansas City. Oakland will look to get things headed back in the right direction this week against a Chargers team that has been the class of this division. NFL futures betters who laid the pretty penny to get the Chargers are surely kicking themselves right now. Oakland has a chance to make this season even more miserable for the Chargers with a win this week.

Oakland peed away last week’s contest versus the Chiefs when Maurice Leggett scooped up a fumble on a fake field goal attempt and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown to help the Kansas City beat the Oakland Raiders 20-13 and snap a seven-game losing streak. The loss assured the Raiders their sixth straight losing campaign. The game could have been put out of reach early if the Raiders would have come away with touchdowns instead of field goals on their possessions. The Raiders managed just three points on three first-half trips inside the Kansas City 30. JaMarcus Russell has not put up big passing numbers this season (10 of 28 for 132 last week), but he could have a chance at a breakout game against a Chargers defense which is allowing 260.6 passing yards per game. The Chargers will also have to be ready for an array of trick plays and formations this week as Oakland is playing with nothing to lose. Last week talented rookie running back Darren McFadden lined up at receiver, QB, and running back and the Raiders ran a variety of plays with him in those three spots. If you think Oakland takes San Diego down to the wire this week, bet the Raiders at +10 at BetUS.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

Written by Jimmy Boyd on December 1, 2008 · Filed Under NFL Betting Articles, News & Previews

Comments

Got something to say?