The San Diego Chargers, who are coming off a 41-10 victory over Arizona, will try to win consecutive games for the first time this season when they visit division rival Oakland Sunday. The Chargers should have an excellent chance, considering they have won 13 in a row against the Raiders. NFL odds makers believe San Diego has the edge this week, listing the Chargers as a 6.5-point favorite with the total points set at 45.




While San Diego has won both of its home games by a combined score of 79-23, they have yet to win on the road in 2010. Their first road win could come Sunday at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, where they have won six in a row.



The San Diego offense has been electric early on, leading the league with 450.8 yards per game. The Chargers also rank third with 28.2 points per game.



Quarterback Philip Rivers has led the attack. He is among the league leaders in passing with 1,328 passing yards and nine touchdowns. Six of those touchdown strikes have gone to tight end Antonio Gates, who scored on lengthy passes of 33 and 26 yards against Arizona.



The Chargers even had their running game going last Sunday. Mike Tolbert rushed for a career-high 100 yards on just 16 carries and rookie Ryan Matthews rushed for 55 yards on nine totes. They both found the end zone.



While the San Diego offense steals most of the headlines, a defense that currently ranks second in the NFL could be what finally gets the Chargers over the hump and into the Super Bowl. Ranking second is especially impressive when you consider that Shawne Merriman has missed a pair of games with a calf injury. In Merriman’s absence, the other Shaun, Shaun Phillips, has carried the load.



It is also worth noting that the Chargers are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight meetings in Oakland.



That being said, the San Diego defense better be ready to play because the Raiders are moving the football in 2010. Oakland finished next-to-last in total offense with 266.1 yards per game last season, but it currently ranks fifth in the AFC with 354.2 yards of offense this year.



Much of this success can be attributed to the decision to replace Jason Campbell with Bruce Gradkowski, who has helped the Raiders score 47 points in his two starts.



Oakland lost by seven points to a very good Houston team last week, mostly because its defense allowed 249 rushing yards. San Diego is a pass-first team, so it could be doing the Raiders, who rank third against the pass, a favor if it chooses to keep its usual philosophy.



While San Diego has had Oakland’s number in recent years, lately the Chargers have been fool’s gold in the road chalk. In fact, the Chargers are just 2-7 against the spread in their last nine games as a road favorite.



World champion handicapper Jimmy Boyd took the books to school with a perfect 6-0 performance in Week 4 with his NFL picks. Don’t miss a single play in Week 5!