The folks over at NFLpickwatch collected game picks from some 285 different experts and the result was pretty lopsided.
At a rate of nearly 80%, they are choosing the Chargers to beat the Raiders.
As far as the spread is concerned, it has the Chargers by three. So, I guess if you trust the experts on their picks, that would seem a good bet. Not that I’m suggesting it, because that’s not something I would do.
A quick overview is all you really need to see why the experts would favor the Chargers. They have an elite QB and got arguably the prize new head coach of the offseason, snagging Jim Harbaugh who just led the Michigan Wolverines to the National Championship.
The Raiders have a journeyman quarterback and promoted interim head coach Antonio Pierce, who had never held a position in the NFL above linebackers coach. That’s not a knock on him — at least not from me — it’s just the fact of the matter, and it likely affects these predictions.