Raiders (6-8) at Chargers (5-9)
Chargers schedule
W ..... Indianapolis ..... 30-24 L ........ at Detroit ........ 13-10 L ......... Houston ......... 27-20 W ........ at Miami ........ 30-10 L .......... Denver .......... 20-13 L ....... Pittsburgh ....... 24-17 L .... atTennessee .... 23-20 W ...... at Chicago ...... 17-16 W ...... Green Bay ...... 26-11 L ....... at Oakland ....... 26-24 L Kansas City (Mex.) 24-17
BYE
L ........ at Denver ........ 23-20 W .. at Jacksonville .. 45-10 L ....... Minnesota ....... 39-10 Dec. 22 ..... Oakland ..... 4:05 Dec. 29 . at Kansas City .. 1
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California
TV: CBS
Danny Sheridan’s line: by 51⁄2
Raiders’ keys to victory: The Raiders have averaged 12.2 points in their last four games and will have to rely on RB Josh Jacobs, a favorite for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, to add a spark. In the teams’ first meeting, Jacobs totaled 101 yards from scrimmage and a score. Oakland’s pass rushers sacked Chargers QB Philip Rivers five times in that game, and that pressure generated three turnovers.
Chargers’ keys to victory: Los Angeles needs to protect Rivers but will have both starting offensive tackles on the field this time, which could make all the difference. If Rivers gets time to throw, the quarterback should have success against a Raiders pass defense that’s near the bottom of the league. Defensively, it all comes down to making the Raiders onedimensional by containing RB Josh Jacobs.
Matchup to watch: Chargers OTs Russell Okung and Sam Tevi vs. Raiders’ pass rush. The last time the two teams met, Rivers had no time to breathe in the pocket because he had two backup tackles playing. This week, it’ll be a completely different story as Okung and Tevi will be starting. If Rivers is able to get a little bit of a time, it should be a different story.
Who wins? The Chargers have dominated the Raiders on their home turf in recent years and should benefit from the return of injured starters who missed the teams’ first meeting. Though Los Angeles is out of playoff contention, the Chargers will be motivated to finish their season strong.
Chargers, 21-14
Chargers