In the second of the two Week 2 Monday Night Football matchups in the 2025 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders host the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada. We’ll be diving into all of the primetime games this season, and this one isn’t any different. With that in mind, keep reading for betting odds, picks and player props for this exciting showdown. Also, make sure you head over to our Week 2 NFL Betting Hub for a look at all of our NFL betting content.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How To Watch Chargers vs. Raiders
When: Monday, September 15th at 10:00 pm ET
Where: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada
Channel: ESPN
Chargers vs. Raiders Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sunday, September 14th. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Chargers -180, Raiders +150
Spread: Chargers -3 (-122), Raiders +3 (+102)
Total: Over 46.5 (-112), Under 46.5 (-108)
Chargers vs. Raiders Analysis
Both of these teams were impressive in Week 1. Los Angeles went over to Brazil and earned a 27-21 win over Kansas City. In that game, Justin Herbert threw for 318 yards with three touchdowns and no picks, and the Chargers defense held up nicely against a Patrick Mahomes offense. Meanwhile, Las Vegas had a tricky opening-week matchup with a new-and-improved New England team, but the Raiders left Foxborough with a 20-13 win in Pete Carroll’s team debut. Suddenly, this sets up as a can’t-miss divisional matchup under the lights.
There are a lot of reasons to like the Chargers in this game. Last year, Los Angeles had an EPA per play of 0.044, which was good for 12th in the NFL. Meanwhile, Las Vegas had an EPA per play of -0.131, which put the team 31st in the NFL. Then, on the defensive side of things, the Chargers had an EPA per play allowed of -0.054, which was a top-five mark in the league. Las Vegas’ EPA per play allowed was 0.016, which was a middle-of-the-pack number.
The Chargers were a much better team a year ago, and they’re expected to be a much better team this year. Los Angeles has a good quarterback in Herbert, a great coach in Jim Harbaugh and then a good deal of talent on both sides of the ball. That’s why our VSiN NFL betting splits show nearly 70% of the tickets in this game have come in on the Chargers at DraftKings Sportsbook. However, the spread has dropped from 3.5 to 3, meaning some reverse line movement that favors the Raiders. And generally speaking, this is one of those games in which taking the road team feels too easy. When that’s the case, you probably want to go the other way.
Realistically, this Vegas team is nothing like last year’s group. Carroll has his faults as a head coach, but he’s an adult in the room that has won at every stop. And Carroll, along with an improved Raiders front office, added to this roster in the offseason. The offense is now led by Geno Smith, who has proven to be a solid NFL starter. Smith torched the Pats in his first start in the silver and black, throwing for 362 yards and showing a good grasp of Chip Kelly’s scheme. And while rookie Ashton Jeanty struggled to get going in his NFL debut, we all know how special he is out of the backfield. That said, as long as the Vegas offensive line is just decent this season, this should be a solid offense. And really, the defense shouldn’t be terrible either. The Raiders didn’t make any huge moves to address it in the offseason, but they picked up some decent players and retained coordinator Patrick Graham.
None of that might sound like much when talking about Vegas. The Chargers have a very talented roster; the Raiders roster is ho-hum. But when Carroll isn’t at a huge disadvantage, he tends to perform well in these types of home games. Throughout his career, his teams are 19-16 straight-up and 23-11-1 against the spread as home underdogs of 7 or fewer points. Carroll is also 16-9 SU and 13-10-2 ATS in Monday Night Football games.
I also wouldn’t downplay the impact of the crowd here. We sometimes see road fans take over Allegiant Stadium, but there’s some actual excitement surrounding this Raiders team. Also, the Chargers don’t have the strongest fanbase in the world, so it’s hard to imagine them traveling and packing another team’s building.
As far as actual on-field matchups to keep an eye on, Maxx Crosby could be a thorn in Herbert’s side in this game. With no Rashawn Slater, there’s really nobody that can keep Crosby from living in the Chargers backfield. And if he is consistently back there, that’ll take some pressure off the Vegas secondary. There’s also no reason Smith can’t move the ball against this Los Angeles defense. And I will note that Kelly, a longtime college coach, should be familiar with what Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter wants to do.
Chargers vs. Raiders Player Props
Brock Bowers Over 55.5 Receiving Yards (-110)
Last week, Bowers had five catches for 103 yards against New England. In the game, Bowers had three receptions that went at least 23 yards. He’s just explosive after the catch, and I don’t see the Chargers having an answer for him. Last year, despite having worse quarterbacks, Bowers averaged 54.0 yards per game against this Los Angeles defense. With Smith in the fold, I can see him taking things to another level.
Bowers is also the top weapon in this passing game. So, while he is listed as a tight end, I feel this yardage total is very low. You don’t often see WR1s in other offenses with numbers this low.
Chargers vs. Raiders Pick
I think this is a decent spot to back the home team +3.5, but I’m laying off. If anything, there’s a chance I’ll take an alternate line parlay with Buccaneers +8.5 and Raiders +8.5. I mentioned that in my Bucs-Texans preview. I expect this to be a close game, but I’m looking for a little extra cushion. However, I am taking Bowers to have at least 56 yards. He’s a big-play machine and this is an opportunity for him to strut his stuff on a big stage.
Pick: Bowers Over 55.5 Receiving Yards (-110)
