Two teams at the bottom of the AFC West face off Thursday night when the 5-8 Los Angeles Chargers travel to take on the 5-8 Las Vegas Raiders.
These teams are not yet eliminated from playoff contention, but they need to finish strong as both are two games out of the final wild card spot.
The Chargers are coming off a 24-7 home loss to the Denver Broncos. The Raiders just tied the lowest scoring game in the history of the NFL. NFL HISTORYlosing to the Minnesota Vikings 3-0.
Chargers Still Aiming for Playoffs
The Chargers have been known for having talented squads, but have not been successful in the playoffs. Brandon Staley was hired to end that streak, but while the team is alone with a 5-8 record and in 12th place in the AFC, Staley could be looking for a new job soon.
The Chargers have lost four of their last five games, with their only win coming over New England in an ugly game that ended 6-0.
To make matters worse, quarterback Justin Herbert fractured the index finger on his right hand and is no longer in doubt to play in this game. Herbert has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
The Chargers could be forced to go with Easton Stick, a 28-year-old quarterback from North Dakota State who rarely sees action.
Easton Stick was selected in the fifth round of the draft in 2019. He has only played in two NFL games, one in 2020 and one last week against the Broncos.
In the game against Denver, he completed 13 of 24 passes for 179 yards, but did not throw a touchdown. He will look to throw his first touchdown pass against the Raiders.
The Chargers are likely to rely heavily on Austin Ekeler, who averages 49.7 yards per game with five touchdowns and is the team's third-leading receiver with 34.4 yards per game. Expect to see more handoffs and screen passes for Ekeler with Stick at quarterback.
Keenan Allen is having a great season, ranking fourth in the NFL in total yards receiving and averaging 95.6 yards per game with seven touchdowns.
Joshua Palmer is on the injured list, putting more pressure on rookie Quentin Johnston to prove he was worth being a first-round pick.
Week 15 kicks off! 🏈 Chargers visit the Raiders 💥 pic.twitter.com/j96BX41hV4
- Inés Sainz 🇲🇽 (@InesSainzG) December 14, 2023
Raiders Still Looking to Qualify
Since the merger, the NFL has seen six games that ended 3-0, and the Raiders and Vikings were the first teams to do so in 16 years. The Raiders didn't score a single point but still covered the spread, which is not a feat easily accomplished.
The offense couldn't get going for Las Vegas. They had just eight first downs all game, with 202 total yards on offense. Aidan O'Connell continues to start at quarterback, completing 21 of 32 passes for 171 yards and an interception in the loss to Minnesota.
Jimmy Garappolo has been sidelined lately, but all signs point to O'Connell starting again here. O'Connell has played in seven games and averages 195 yards per game with a TD-INT ratio of 4-7.
The Raiders will need to see more production from their young quarterback; with the quality of the receiving corps, he should have more than four touchdown passes. Davante Adams is one of the best receivers in the league, but he has only been getting modest numbers in this Las Vegas offense.
Adams averages 66.7 yards per game with four touchdowns on the season. Adams has only had one game with over 100 yards.
Jakobi Meyers is the team's second-leading receiver, contributing 51.3 yards per game with six touchdowns.
Josh Jacobs is the leading rusher and the only featured running back on the team, he has 805 yards on the season, the next leading rusher with the most yards is wide receiver Tre Tucker with 63 yards. Jacobs averages 61.9 yards per game with six touchdowns.
