Chargers stand between Raiders and playoffs

The Raiders and Chargers past met Oct. 4 connected “Monday Night Football,” erstwhile their respective seasons were filled with promise.

The Raiders were unbeaten, having won their archetypal 3 games to prehend bid of the AFC West. The Chargers were 2-1 aft a roadworthy triumph implicit the rival Chiefs.

The victor Sunday successful the rematch volition suffice for the NFL’s postseason and salvage the optimism that was determination earlier this season.

Same fierce rivalry. Slightly antithetic stakes.

The Raiders fell 28-14 to their part rival that nighttime astatine SoFi Stadium successful Inglewood, California. Jon Gruden roamed the sideline and Henry Ruggs was the starring receiver.

Burgeoning superstar backmost Justin Herbert helped the Chargers unafraid an aboriginal 21-0 lead, but the Raiders roared backmost with 14 points successful the 3rd quarter. A missed tract extremity preceded a 10-play, 58-yard thrust that would reason with a touchdown for the Chargers.

Herbert passed for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns, teammate Austin Ekeler rushed 15 times for 117 yards and a score. Raiders backmost Derek Carr passed for 196 yards — his fewest successful a crippled this season.

They’ll tally it backmost Sunday nighttime astatine Allegiant Stadium successful what volition beryllium the last crippled of the regular season. Winner makes the playoffs. It doesn’t get immoderate bigger. Here’s what the Raiders are up against.

Offense

Herbert powers the NFL’s sixth-best scoring discourtesy (27.6 points per game) with a rocket close arm, prototypical size and mobility and uncanny maturity successful his 2nd season. He’s 3rd successful passing yards (4,631) and touchdowns (35) portion completing 67.3 percent of his passes.

He besides has 301 rushing yards and 3 scores, showing the quality to improvise.

Ekeler has 847 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns to spell with 612 receiving yards and 7 touchdown receptions. Keenan Allen remains arsenic reliable a wide receiver arsenic determination is successful the NFL, totaling 100 receptions for 1,086 yards and six scores.

Former first-round prime Mike Williams has blossomed into an perfect complement to Allen, relying connected speed, size and shot skills to agelong the field. He has a career-high 1,027 receiving yards to spell with 8 touchdowns.

The Chargers predicate their discourtesy connected Herbert and their skill-position players, throwing connected 61.4 percent of their plays — the seventh-most predominant among the NFL’s 32 teams.

Defense

Chargers first-year manager Brandon Staley comes from a antiaircraft inheritance but hasn’t cultivated a top-tier defense. Los Angeles yields 26.5 points per game, ranking 26th and past among AFC West teams. The Chargers are 30th successful tally defense, allowing 136.7 rushing yards per game.

They besides athletics the league’s worst third-down defense, allowing conversions 49.8 percent of the time. But with that said, they inactive boast talented players who tin change the crippled astatine immoderate time.

Defense extremity Joey Bosa is simply a Pro Bowler up beforehand and leads the squad with 9.5 sacks. Safety Derwin James is besides a Pro Bowler with 109 tackles and 2 interceptions. Linebacker Kyzir White is simply a disrupter astatine the 2nd level with 137 tackles.

Special teams

Dustin Hopkins is 1 of the league’s astir close kickers, converting 17 of 18 tract goals. Punter Ty Young averages 44.9 yards per kick.

Contact newsman Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected Twitter.