Coming off of Week 14 of the NFL, both of these teams have left something to be desired. Los Angeles adds to its list of problems now including the loss of their starting quarterback, Justin Herbert. And the Las Vegas Raiders look to deal with their issues as they are coming off a historically low scoring loss against the Minnesota Vikings.
Chargers or Raiders to Continue Playoff Push
Both teams sit at 5-8 on the cusp of a possible playoff berth. Most likely, the team to lose this matchup in the West will pretty much be eliminated from the playoffs. Whether or not the winning or losing team could still be in the playoff hunt, this game has big implications for the future of their franchises.
Duel of Fate For Two NFL Coaches
Chargers head coach Brandon Staley and Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce face off in a game that can sway their future job security. Staley has led the Los Angeles Chargers to the playoffs last year, which ended in a disastrous loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars; where the Jaguars beat the Chargers in a comeback victory after being down by 20 at half. Other than this playoff appearance, Stanley's term as head coach of the Chargers has been lackluster to say the least. With rumors of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick seemingly on the way out of New England and into LA, Staley gets put on the hot seat.
Now to the Raiders side of things. Antonio Pierce took over the job of head coach after Las Vegas parted ways with Josh McDaniels. Pierce has strung together a couple wins early in his term but has fallen to a 3 game losing streak. The Raiders coach looks to put together his best resume for further coaching opportunities, whether it's for the Raiders or elsewhere.
What to Expect
Based off last week, we really shouldn't expect too much excitement offensively to come from these two teams. The Raiders failed to score a point last week against the Vikings and the Chargers, even with Herbert, struggle to find consistency. Both inexperienced quarterbacks Aiden O'Connell and Easton Stick may have trouble finding their star wideouts in this Divisional rivalry. Key players in this matchup may very well be the Bolts running back Austin Ekeler and Raiders wideout Davante Adams. Star players like Josh Jacobs and Keenan Allen were non-participants in practice Wednesday; possibly leading to Ekeler and Adams carrying a heavier workload for their teams.
Related Article: Raiders vs. Chargers Week 15: Odds, Spread, Betting Lines, Pick and Preview for Thursday Night Football
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