The playoff-bound Chargers will be fifth of sixth in the AFC, which poises a big difference. If the Chargers win and Pittsburgh loses this weekend, the Chargers get fifth and play at Houston in the AFC Wild-Card round. If the Chargers lose or Pittsburgh wins, it’s sixth place and a likely date at Baltimore in the playoffs.

The 4-12 Raiders have their own scenarios in the AFC standings. Las Vegas currently has the eighth pick in the draft, but a win on Sunday could get them down to 10th, while a loss could move Las Vegas into the top five of the draft. A two-game winning streak for the Raiders proves Antonio Pierce’s squad isn’t interested in the tanking business, though.

Kickoff at Allegiant Stadium is set for 4:25 p.m. EST with the Chargers a five-point favourite on the road and the over-under at 41 on the NFL odds.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

Last weekend’s 40-7 win put Los Angeles to 6-2 against the spread on the road this season. The stars are aligning, as Las Vegas is 2-5 straight up on home filed this season and have dropped all five of those losses by at least five points (the spread this weekend). Los Angeles opened their season with a 22-10 victory over the Raiders, a win in which the Chargers ran for 176 yards on the ground and won the turnover battle 3-0. Four of these teams’ last five matchups have finished under the total — last year’s 63-21 Raiders win being the outlier.

And if there’s any further incentivization to look at the total, look toward Las Vegas team total of 18.5 points. The Raiders are 28th in the NFL with 18.1 points per game and the Chargers are allowing 13.1 points on the road this season, and have not given up more than 20 in any of those eight road contests.

Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert officially has the most passing yards in a player’s first five seasons, breaking Peyton Manning’s NFL record last weekend. Herbert wasn’t the only Chargers player on offence breaking records though as receiver Ladd McConkey set a Chargers rookie record for catches, previously held by Keenan Allen. L.A.’s found a dynamic QB-WR duo between Herbert and McConkey as they connected eight times for 94 yards and two scores last week.

The rookie receiver became the first Chargers skill player to reach 1,000 yards on the season, and this week running J.K. Dobbins has a chance to get there too. Dobbins needs 158 rushing yards to reach his first 1,000-yard rushing season in the NFL, and also needs just 58 yards on the ground to hit another performance bonus in his contract.

Las Vegas Raiders

Quarterback Aidan O’Connell is leading the charge in this two-game win streak for the Raiders, but relying on rookie tight end Brock Bowers along the way and for good reason. With a seven-catch, 77-yard performance last weekend, Bowers broke Mike Ditka’s 1961 record for most yards receiving by a rookie tight end. Bowers has 1,144 now, which is also seventh in the NFL.

Another good story in Las Vegas is Ameer Abdullah. The 10-year veteran achieved his first ever 100-yard game in the NFL last week, going for 115 yards on 20 carries. Abdullah (foot) did miss practice Wednesday but if he can get healthy for Sunday, expect the 31-year-old to get more work in the Raiders backfield.

NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Chargers vs. Raiders?