AFC Game Of The Week
Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders
Chargers: I was high on them coming into the year. A new head coach, a young quarterback coming off a Rookie of the Year season the year before, and with Brandon Staley being a defensive-minded guy, I felt the defense was going to take the next step and they appeared to be headed in that direction. They’ve been up and down at times this year. I still remember when people were referring to them as the class of the AFC West, boy did that age horribly. Here is what I like about the Chargers. Their offense is aggressive and they’re able to push the football down the field. Justin Herbert continues to impress me. He also has two-possession receivers he can get the ball to in open space in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. What about Austin Ekeler? He’s a running back that doesn’t get enough credit because he impacts games as both a runner and a pass-catcher. This offense also has confidence because they feel they can score with some of the elite offenses in the league. The defense has been hit or miss as of late. There are weeks when they can shut you down and they have moments where they let up so you never know which unit will show up. On Sunday night, they will play in a winner takes all game for a playoff spot.
Raiders: I applaud them. I truly mean this too because they could have easily stuck a fork in this season, but they haven’t. I couldn’t imagine dealing with a head coach being a major distraction because of emails and a key component of the offense being charged with a DUI. Those two incidents alone would bring a dark cloud over your entire franchise and I thought they were done after suffering a few losses in a row. Now, they’ve won their last three games. Sometimes, I’m not sure which Raiders team shows up. Will we see the team that defeated the Ravens and Steelers in back-to-back weeks? Or, do we see the team that can be inconsistent at times and drops games to teams such as the Giants? A few weeks ago, I took a phone caller for Monday Evening Quarterback and I was asked should the team move on from Derek Carr? I answered his question with a question: Who would you find that’s better? I have a newfound respect for Derek because he’s become a leader. When times did indeed get rough, he stepped up and put the team on his back. In other words, they are not here without him. This Sunday night, they return home for their biggest game in recent memory.
Chargers X-Factor: Jerry Tillery– When the Chargers decided not to bring back Melvin Ingram, I was wondering who would step up in his absence. I followed Jerry back in his college days at Notre Dame. His versatility stands out. Jerry can play on the edge which is his natural position, but the Chargers also use him inside on the interior of the defensive line. Jerry puts consistent pressure on the quarterback and that will be needed on Sunday night.
Raiders X-Factor: Zay Jones– After the Henry Ruggs incident, he’s stepped up and become that playmaker that can create down the field. I’ve seen Zay run underneath, work the flat, go up the seams and just place himself in the best position possible to make a catch. A receiver won’t get the football if the quarterback doesn’t trust him and Derek has unlimited trust in this receiver. He had a big day last week against the Colts. Zay finished the game with 120 yards receiving.
Final Thoughts: It’s come down to this. Whoever would’ve imagined that it would come down to the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders for the final playoff spot? When they last met, the Chargers bullied the Raiders and handed them their first loss at the time. If the Chargers didn’t drop that unfortunate game to the Houston Texans, they wouldn’t be in this position. As I said up top, it’s just amazing that the Raiders are in this situation considering everything this franchise has been through. The Raiders must get their running game going early on as the Chargers struggle to stop the run. If they can slow the game down and control the clock, they will be in great shape. The Chargers will have their hands full with Darren Waller who’s expected to return. As a colleague of mine always says, anybody but him! Which style pushes their teams ahead? The aggression of Brandon Staley and the Chargers or the conservative approach of Rich Bisaccia and the Raiders?
Prediction: Chargers 30, Raiders 28
