Chargers vs. Raiders final prediction and betting odds for Week 18

The Los Angeles Chargers wrap up the season on Sunday in Week 18 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

While the Chargers and Jim Harbaugh have remained mum on the subject of playing starters full-go, Joey Bosa has made his intentions clear. The team does have some interesting playoff seeding at stake with a win.

If the Chargers beat the Raiders, they will clinch the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff, which would mean a game against the Houston Texans in Round 1. If they lose, it would mean the No. 6 seed and a date with the Baltimore Ravens.

Quietly, the Raiders could be a tricky out. Divisional games can always get weird. The final week of the season tends to do that, too. And for all their faults, the Raiders are on a two-game tear entering Week 18, even if beating the Jaguars and Saints over that span isn’t all that impressive.

The Chargers, though, have rebounded from the blowout loss to Tampa Bay in Week 15 by winning two straight. Justin Herbert seems mostly over the ankle injury concerns and the defense remains elite and more than capable of handling a Raiders offense that has scored more than 20 points in a game just twice since the start of November.

Ideally, the Chargers would like to sprint out to a lead, then consider pulling some starters here and there ahead of the playoffs.

Prediction: Chargers 27, Raiders 10