The Raiders begin the season with a difficult task, heading down the road to Inglewood to face off against the division rival Chargers.
This game comes as a rematch of that Week 18 matchup from last season, in which the Raiders won in overtime to send them to the playoffs and end the postseason hopes of the Chargers. Los Angeles will come into this weekend with revenge on their minds.
Not only will the Chargers be extra motivated in this game for the revenge factor, but the matchup will be played in Inglewood, making it an even bigger test for Las Vegas. Since the Chargers moved into Sofi Stadium in 2020, each team has won once at the new facility. With the advantage that Los Angeles can bring via the home crowd, the Raiders will have to play very well in this one to start off the season in the win column.
A busy offseason
The Chargers won’t be the only team with an extra sense of motivation for this game, however, as the Raiders have their own additional motive to play for. That motive is of course for their new head coach, Josh McDaniels. McDaniels comes to Las Vegas from New England where he had been the offensive coordinator since 2012. He is considered to be one of the best offensive minds in the NFL, and he has six Super Bowl rings to show for it. This Raiders team will be ready to show up for their new head coach and try to prove why the front office hired the right man for the job.
Each team made some key additions to their lineups which will add to the intensity of this rivalry. Las Vegas added star wide receiver Davante Adams from Green Bay, who is expected to be Derek Carr’s No. 1 target for an already solid Raiders offense. The Chargers added former Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack on defense and he will look to add to a Los Angeles defense that must improve from last season.
Odds
The Chargers are currently a 3-point home favorite according to Caesars Sportsbook. Home teams will typically get an advantage in the spread, so the oddsmakers expect this game to come down to the wire. Las Vegas will have a fair shot to win this game and start the season on the right note but it will not come easy facing a division rival on the road.
Prediction
Along with the experts, I believe this game will be very close and it should be one of the must-watch games of Week 1 in the NFL. Much like the oddsmakers, I predict the Los Angeles Chargers to come out on top, 24-21. I see the Raiders keeping the game close until the end when the Chargers are able to pull out the victory by a field goal. This should be an intense rivalry game in which either team could come out on top, but I give the edge to the Chargers as they get to play in front of their home fans at Sofi Stadium.
The game between the Raiders and Chargers will kick off Sunday, September 11 at 2:25 P.M. MT and can be seen on CBS.
