When you're done watching Bucs/Texans on Monday night, you aren’t done because we've got ourselves our traditional early-season Monday Night Football doubleheader.
The Los Angeles Chargers, fresh off their dub over division rival Kansas City down in Brazil travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
We'll break down our Chargers vs. Raiders prediction for Monday in Week 2 below, including the top player picks on PrizePicks real money NFL game, among them Chargers WR Quentin Johnston, Raiders QB Geno Smith, and rookie RB Ashton Jeanty.
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Chargers vs. Raiders Prediction, Preview for NFL Week 2
- The Chargers face an AFC West division rival for the second straight week, traveling to Las Vegas to start down the Raiders, who had their own win over the Patriots last week.
- The Bolts bookended their 11-win season last year with victories vs. the Raiders in the opening game and final game of the season.
- The Raiders last started 2-0 in 2021, which was also the last time they made the postseason.
- The game will feature Chargers QB Justin Herbert facing Raiders QB Geno Smith, who will be his first AFC West start.
Los Angeles Chargers Preview
- The Chargers look to start 2-0 for the second straight season and kick off AFC West play 2-0 for the first time since 2021.
- The defense held Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to 347 yards and held the Raiders to sub-300 yards in both games last season.
Las Vegas Raiders Preview
- After a disappointing 2024 campaign that ended with four wins, the Raiders went on the road — cross country, mind you — and beat the Patriots in Week 1.
- A win over the Chargers would give them their first 2-0 start since 2021.
- QB Geno Smith, in his Raiders debut, threw for 362 yards and a TD, while rookie RB Ashton Jeanty added another score.
Here are three Chargers and Raiders player picks for Monday for PrizePicks real money NFL game, among them Smith and Jeanty.
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Chargers WR Quentin Johnston Projection vs. Raiders: 2.5 Receptions
- Chargers WR Quentin Johnston had a big game vs. the Chiefs with 5 receptions, 79 yards and 2 TDs.
- In his last two regular season games, he has 18 receptions for 266 total yards.
- In Week 18 of last season, Johnston had 13 receptions on 14 targets for 186 yards vs. the Raiders.
Raiders QB Geno Smith Projection vs. Chargers: 242.5 Passing Yards
- Smith had a spectacular Raiders debut, passing for 350-plus yards and a TD.
- He faces a Chargers defense that shut down the Chiefs offense and last allowed 300-plus yards passing in November of 2024.
- Smith last had back-to-back 300-yard games in 2022.
Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty Projection vs. Chargers: 0.5 Rush+Rec TDs
- Jeanty was on the field for 86% of Raiders snaps and received 91% of the RB share.
- He had 29 rushing TDs in his last year at Boise State and scored in his Raiders debut.
- Falcons RB Bijan Robinson was the last 100-yard runner against the Chargers, in Week 13 of last season.
Make Monday Night Football Picks on PrizePicks
Which AFC West team will start 2-0 on the season? As the NFL season gets started, there's no better place to get real money action with your NFL predictions than on PrizePicks.
There are a wide variety of player stat projections on the NFL board, so you can make predictions on whatever you'd like — from yards to field goals. Just pick at least two players and pick More or Less on their stats to build your Lineup on PrizePicks.
Check out the Playbook throughout theNFL season for more NFL predictions for your PrizePicks and NFL DFS Lineups.
