NFL Football
2026-09-20 - Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NFL Week 2
Sunday 20th September 2026 - Scheduled 4:05pm EST
9:05pm (British Time)
Preview
If you were to say that one of these AFC West teams would be heading into the Week 2 Divisional clash at 1-0, most would have suggested the Los Angeles Chargers (0-1) would be that team. Instead it is the Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) who travel to the City of Angels unbeaten thanks to a comfortable success over the Miami Dolphins on the same day the Los Angeles Chargers were inexplicably losing at home against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Division is one of the most competitive in the NFL and so the defeat suffered by the Chargers will have really hurt.
The next four games ahead of the Bye Week will see the Los Angeles Chargers face Buffalo, Seattle, Denver and Kansas City and so there is a real pressure on the team to bounce back immediately from the disappointment of Week 1. Back to back eleven win seasons meant the Chargers came into the 2026 season with big expectations on the shoulders of the players to take the next step and have a deep impact in the Playoffs, and that does mean the team need a response.
Las Vegas will make the short journey to Los Angeles in confident mood, but this is a team that is transitioning and that means avoiding throwing Fernando Mendoza straight into action in his rookie season. He was the top Pick in the NFL Draft, but the Raiders will begin the season with Kirk Cousins at Quarter Back and new Head Coach Klint Kubiak has to be really happy with the start made by his team.
This is a big step up for the Raiders who have won seven games across the last two seasons, but who will be looking to surpass the three wins secured in 2025.
Running the ball is going to be tough against this Chargers Defensive Line and that will put a bit more pressure on Kirk Cousins, who had a much more comfortable match up last week.
It is expected that Brock Bowers will miss another game, which is a significant blow for the Raiders passing game, while it is not being disrespectful to say the team are missing a lot of standout Receivers outside of the Tight End. This did not matter against the Dolphins, but Kirk Cousins did not have to do a lot from the Quarter Back position and the veteran may find it tough to exploit the Chargers Secondary without consistent players to throw to.
Kirk Cousins made a couple of mistakes in the win over Miami, and those could be much more costly in a game like this one.
The Raiders have to be prepared to be facing a Chargers team that will have had criticism ringing in their ears following the Week 1 defeat to the Cardinals, but the home fans will expect a reaction.
Justin Herbert leads the Offensive unit that has a new Co-Ordinator in Mike McDaniel, but they did not seem to be in sync in Week 1, which was a real disappointment.
Everything begins at the Offensive Line after the Chargers struggled to establish the run with any consistency in the opening game and that has to change to just open up the playbook for the new Offensive Co-Ordinator to get the best out of the Quarter Back. Much more will be expected of Omarion Hampton and the Offensive Line and they can show a lot more life in this game.
Doing so should make things pretty comfortable for Justin Herbert and the Quarter Back will be looking to take more care of the ball.
One concern for the home team has to be the performance of the Offensive Line to give Justin Herbert time to allow routes to develop down the field and that has to be improved. This is especially the case against the Raiders, who were able to break into the backfield relentlessly in the win over the Dolphins, although it should always be pointed out how poor Miami looked.
There should be some urgency about the Los Angeles Chargers performance and they have won the last four games against this AFC West rival.
It would be a huge surprise if Head Coach Jim Harbaugh has not gotten into his players and cannot extract a reaction from them, while the Las Vegas Raiders are missing the best Receiver and may struggle to move the ball with a lot of consistency. That could come together to see the Chargers secure a solid win and get themselves ready for a four game run that may determine how this season will shape up for them.
Prediction
The home team should have the quality to bounce back in Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season ahead of some very big tests.
The Pick :
Los Angeles Chargers 24-10 Las Vegas Raiders
