HOW THEY MATCH UP
When Chargers have the ball: For the first time since Week 2 of the 2020 season, someone other than Justin Herbert will start at quarterback for the Chargers. Easton Stick will replace Herbert, who suffered a broken right index finger Sunday against Denver and had surgery Tuesday. With Herbert going on injured reserve, Stick is in line to start the final four games. Rookie Max Duggan will be the backup against Las Vegas. Stick was a dual-threat quarterback at North Dakota State and has shown mobility during his NFL opportunities, most of which have come in the preseason. He displayed an improved arm during training camp this summer and connected with rookie wide receiver Quentin Johnston on a 57-yard pass after replacing Herbert last weekend. The Raiders just faced a pair of backup quarterbacks in Minnesota’s Nick Mullens and Joshua Dobbs and limited the Vikings to three points and 231 total yards. Even with Herbert, the Chargers’ offense has sputtered of late, scoring 10, six and seven points over the last three games. Stick would benefit from a revived running attack, but the Chargers have reached 100 yards only once in the last seven weeks. The over/under total for this matchup is 34 points, the lowest in the NFL for Week 15.
When Raiders have the ball:
Las Vegas punted eight times Sunday. The Raiders also totaled eight first downs en route to losing 3-0. Less than two weeks ago, the Chargers won a game at New England 6-0, setting up all sorts of low expectations for a Thursday night telecast unlikely to challenge the streaming capacities of Amazon Prime. Las Vegas has topped 17 points once over its last seven games, an inviting prospect for a Chargers defense that has played better lately but still is susceptible to the big play. Rookie Aidan O’Connell has produced a quarterback rating in excess of 100 only once in seven starts, leading to speculation that a quarterback change could be coming. When these teams met in October at SoFi Stadium, it was O’Connell’s NFL debut and the Chargers sacked him seven times, six of those belonging to Khalil Mack. The veteran edge rusher has matched his career high with 15 sacks for the season and is half a sack short of 100 for his career. This would seem to be a terrific opportunity for Mack to make some history against his former team, with Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller out and receiver Davante Adams questionable. As with Stick, O’Connell would benefit from a successful ground game, but the Raiders are last in the league, averaging barely 80 yards rushing per game, and center Andre James is out and running back Josh Jacobs is questionable.
When they kick: Cameron Dicker is 19 for 20 on field goals and 31 for 31 on extra points for the Chargers. JK Scott had a team-record 83-yard punt Sunday. Derius Davis leads the NFL with 316 yards on 19 punt returns. For Las Vegas, Daniel Carlson has converted 20 of 24 field goals and all 18 of his extra points. By the numbers: Per-game averages except for sacks, turnovers (with NFL rank):
Jeff Miller’s prediction:
How low can they go? That seems to be the question in this matchup of 5-8 teams with quarterback issues. It’s hard to envision a lot of offense, but maybe the Vegas vibes and the Thursday night lights will join forces to produce something surprising. Don’t count on that, though. RAIDERS 14, CHARGERS 9