Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders Prediction: Can Easton Stick, Chargers Shock Raiders?
The Los Angeles Chargers will head on the road to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders after losing Justin Herbert for the year. Can Easton Stick fill his shoes and lead the Chargers to an upset over the Raiders? Joey Ruiz provides his best bet in Chargers vs. Raiders on Thursday Night Football.
Joey Ruiz - December 14, 2023, 3:05 PM EST
5 minLos Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders Prediction: Can Easton Stick, Chargers Shock Raiders?
Last week, Justin Herbert went down with the season ending injury, which means backup quarterback, Easton stick, will be tasked with leading the charge for the rest of the season. How will he fair tonight against the Raiders? Let’s break it down.
Chargers vs. Raiders Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: December 14, 2023
- Game Time: 8:15 pm ET
- Where to Watch: PRIME VIDEO
Chargers vs. Raiders Odds
- Spread: Chargers +3 (+100), Raiders -3 (-110)
- Total Odds: O34.5 (-109), U 34.5 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Chargers (+140), Raiders (-158)
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders Prediction
The Chargers suffered an embarrassing loss to the Broncos last week as they were blown out to the tune of 24 to 7 as their only touchdown of the game came in the fourth quarter, which was not even led by Justin Herbert as he went down with an injury. The Chargers offense was able to move the ball last week, but they simply could not punch the ball in the end zone as they were stopped on multiple fourth down attempts inside Broncos territory.
On the other side, the Raiders are also coming off their worst game of the season as they did not score a single point at home against the Vikings last week as they were shut out in one of the oddest games of the season as they lost 3 to 0. The Raiders were unable to do anything offensively in that game, as they only had one true drive into Vikings territory, which was squandered by a fumble just outside of the red zone in their lone scoring opportunity of the entire game.
The Raiders have had below average quarterback played for most of the season as Jimmy Garoppolo was benched earlier in the season for both Brian Hoyer and Aidan O’Connell, but not a single one of the three quarterbacks has had any sustained success this season. It is likely that Aidan O’Connell will get the start tonight, but it is also possible that Jimmy Garoppolo could see action, or start, or come into the game if Aiden O’Connell fails to produce at some point.
This primetime matchup between Easton Stick and Aidan O’Connell is very interesting as we do not know a ton about either quarterback. Easton Stick was the former starting quarterback for FCS powerhouse North Dakota State for multiple years and had a ton of success at that level. The North Dakota State Bison ran a pro-style offense for the entirety of his career as a starting quarterback, so while Stick does not have much NFL experience, he does have a lot of experience in a pro-style offense like the Chargers are going to run tonight.
Stick is also a well above-average athlete for a quarterback and could make a lot of plays with his legs tonight when the pocket breaks down. If Stick has the wherewithal to use his legs to scramble and run for first downs instead of trying to force balls into double coverage, he could have a lot of success moving the sticks and sustaining drives for the Chargers tonight.
This game feels a lot like when the Vikings played Chicago at home a few weeks ago when the Bears were +3 on the road; or when the Vikings went into Denver with Josh Dobbs at quarterback and were also +3 on the road. In Both of those games, the road underdog covered as the Bears won outright and the Vikings should have won outright if not for turnovers and poor clock management.
Easton stick is no world leader, but I do think he is good enough to move the chains consistently for this Chargers' offense to keep this game close, and potentially win straight up. With that being said, I am rolling with Chargers +3 at -110 odds for one unit as my most confident NFL play of the day for tonight’s action, as I think the Chargers have a solid chance to win this game straight up.
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders Pick
Pick: Los Angeles Chargers +3 (+100) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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NFL Odds
