San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
Sunday, 10/10/10, 4:15 PM EDT, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: San Diego -5
Current Betting Line: San Diego -6
Opening Total: 44
Current Total: 45
Current Moneyline: SD -265/Oakland +225
Odds take from Bookmaker Sportsbook
San Diego is an even 2-2 on the season thanks to dominating performances at home and mistake-laden football on the road. “We let a couple of games get away from us. So it’s something we have to deal with,” said head coach Norv Turner. “We have to fix it and we have to play at a high level.” At Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers have looked like the team that’s won the AFC West the last four years. The combined score of two home wins was 79-23. The team held Arizona to 124 yards of offense and collected a season-high nine sacks en route to a 41-10 win last week. That performance came after the squad falling to Seattle a week earlier due to giving up two kick returns and committing five turnovers. The team is 7-6 ATS versus division opponents over the last three years and the total is 6-4 O/U in those contests.
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The Chargers have a good chance of picking up its first road victory against an opponent they’ve defeated 13 straight times by an average of 14.4 points. San Diego has the ability to put up points versus any opponent each week, averaging a league-high 450.8 yards and ranking third with 28.2 points per game. Quarterback Philip Rivers has thrown for 1,328 yards and nine touchdowns, leading to a 102.8 passer rating. Defensively, the club is hoping to continue piling up sacks, collecting nine sacks last week versus the Cardinals and now face a Raiders front line that has allowed 13 in four games. Linebacker Shaun Phillips led the team with four of the team’s sacks a week ago.
Oakland came up just short against the Texans last week in a 31-24 loss, as the team gave up 249 rushing yards. “We are not panicking,” safety Tyvon Branch said. “We are very optimistic still. It’s still early.” The last time the Raiders beat the Chargers, former quarterback Rich Gannon passed for 348 yards and the team was eight months removed from a 48-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. Over the last three years, the team has posted an even 6-6 ATS mark versus AFC West opponents and the total was 3-7 O/U in those contests.
The Raiders may have to play without running back Darren McFadden, who is enjoying a breakout year in ranking third in the NFL with 392 yards, as he is doubtful with a hamstring injury. The team ranks fifth in the AFC with 354.2 yards of total offense, but may look like the team that finished 31st in the league a year ago. Head coach Tom Cable is also searching for answers in finding a way to knock off the Chargers in what is now his fourth year with the franchise. “What’s going on here, this being year four for me with the Raiders, I mean, we were close twice last year, but being close doesn’t work,” Cable said. “At some point, if you’re going to knock off the champ, you’ve got to beat ‘em.”
Bettors may be timid in playing the Chargers despite their dominance of today’s opponent, as the team is 2-7 ATS as a road favorite. Oakland is hard to back with a 15-36 ATS mark in its last 51 home games. Maddux Sports has crushed the NFL bookmakers so far this season, currently on a 76% NFL Picks run for their clients they have 5 big winners lined up for Sunday including their AFC Game of the Year. Visit the NFL betting picks page to get their Sunday winners.
