Oakland Raiders (3-9, 2-4) vs San Diego Chargers (4-8, 3-3) 

Date: Thursday, Dec 4, 2008
Kickoff:  8:15 PM ET
Location: Qualcom Field

The Line: San Diego giving 8 points    Under/Over 42 1/2

Matchup
Oakland is 3-9.  They have scored 172 points while giving up 265. They are 2-4 on the road and 2-3 in their division

San Diego is 4-8. They have scored 290 points while giving up 274. They are 3-3 at home and 2-1 in their division.

PREVIEW 
The San Diego Chargers haven’t had a losing season in five years. It’s been just as long since their last loss to the Oakland Raiders. Possibly the most disappointing team of this NFL season wants to make sure neither of those streaks end Thursday night, with the Chargers hosting the Raiders and looking to avoid putting their slim playoff hopes at risk this weekend.

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
San Diego leads 11-4

MORE INFO
Both of these teams lost last week, and with the Broncos’ victory over the Jets, the lowly AFC West looks to be all but wrapped up. Neither the Chargers nor the Raiders have much hope for a wild-card berth. The Chargers were beaten at home by Atlanta in just about every area of the game, while Oakland lost to a Chiefs team that had just one win for the season. San Diego won the first contest 28-18 in Week 4, and both teams will be playing for pride on a national stage.

KEY FACTORS
If the Chargers lose they are out. Raiders are already out.  Chargers are playing for their lives.

Chargers are on a three-game losing streak, equaling the longest he’s seen since joining the Chargers in 2004. San Diego hasn’t dropped four straight since an 0-5 start in 2003, and one of those losses was a 34-31 defeat in Oakland.

The Raiders (3-9) have lost all 10 meetings since that game, and only one of the last seven has been decided by fewer than 10 points.

AGAINST THE SPREAD
Just as expected, considering the Chargers beat the Raiders in their visit to Oakland in September by 10 points (28-18).  When wagering on these betting numbers, keep in mind that Oakland is 2-4 against the spread in its last 6 games and has won only 4 of its last 25 games on the road. Meanwhile San Diego is 9-4 against the spread in its last 13 games at home, but 10-1 against the spread in its last 11 games when playing Oakland. Also, the total has gone UNDER in 7 of the Chargers last 8 games when playing at home against the Raiders.

PREDICTION
Chargers 35-21

In what looks to be a lopsided contest, the winless Detroit Lions go up against the AFC-best record Tennessee Titans on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit.

Coming off their first loss of the season Sunday (34-13 vs the Jets), the Titans can be counted on to come out strong to get back on track.  On the other hand,  the Lions are hoping against hope that they can put an end to the string of losses they’ve suffered this season.

Detroit Coach Rod Marinelli is taking the blame on himself, but let’s face it, he’s not the one on the field.  The Lions need to dig deep to stay with the Titans, who they have an all-time record of 3-6 against, including a close loss (24-21) on their only other Thanksgiving meeting in 1992.

Look for a blowout here.  I wouldn’t expect the Lions to get more than 10 points.