Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders Monday Night Football Week 2 Betting Predictions

The Las Vegas Raiders have a new-look team in 2025. They brought in Pete Carroll as their new head coach. They also traded for Geno Smith to start at quarterback while spending the sixth overall pick on Ashton Jeanty.

Simply put, this doesn’t project to be an elite offense in the NFL. They ranked sixth in yards (389) in Week 1, but they had only 20 points to show for it. Even with all those yards, they reached the red zone only once—though they did come away with a touchdown.

Las Vegas opened its season against the New England Patriots. New England isn’t expected to be an elite defense, and Christian Gonzalez was out for this game. He’s a focal point of their defense, and it’s one of the main reasons Smith was able to find success through the air.

The Patriots dominated the Raiders in the trenches, though. Jeanty finished with 38 yards on 19 carries. He also gained 44 rushing yards after contact, showing that he was consistently hit behind the line of scrimmage.

It’s safe to say even with some success against Las Vegas, New England isn’t an elite defense. The Miami Dolphins looked helpless in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts—another defense that doesn’t project to be elite—and they still managed to score 27 points against New England this week.

The Raiders now face the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday. The Chargers project to be better in every area than the Patriots. They held the Kansas City Chiefs to 21 points in their season opener.

Los Angeles should win the battle in the trenches throughout this game. They’ll also be drastically better against the pass than New England was, giving them an edge everywhere.

Another key is the Chargers’ pace of play. They played at the slowest pace in the NFL last season, and they played slightly slower than that in Week 1. If they take any reasonable lead in this game, they’ll milk the clock as much as possible.

We’re looking for fewer than three touchdowns for Las Vegas in this game, and that feels entirely too high. Los Angeles isn’t going to give up big plays, and they’ll control the line. This is also a divisional game, giving the Chargers even more incentive to dictate the pace and secure the win.

Where to Bet: Las Vegas Raiders under 21.5 points | -112 at DraftKings Sportsbook