A pair of AFC West rivals will get together on Thursday Night Football to start Week 15 of the National Football League. The Los Angeles Chargers are at the Las Vegas Raiders. This is a battle of 5-8 teams that both appear to be missing the postseason again in 2023. The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off a rough loss at home to the Denver Broncos which also saw them lose their quarterback Justin Herbert. He will miss the rest of the 2023 season.
For the Las Vegas Raiders, they have dropped three straight games. The Raiders are coming off a 3-0 loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings. The Raiders are playing under the leadership of interim head coach Antonio Pearce.
Stick Leading the Charge
Easton Stick is going to lead the charge for Los Angeles. It’s ironic that this is the guy that will be the signal caller in the final games of the Brandon Staley era in Los Angeles. It is likely Staley will not be back for the 2024 season. Stick has yet to throw a touchdown in his NFL career. The 28 year old from North Dakota State has also thrown just 25 passes in his career
He will look to use rookie receiver Quentin Johnston early and often. Johnston had his best game of his rookie season, finishing just shy of 100 yards last week. Austin Ekeler and Keenan Allen are still the dudes in Los Angeles. Ekeler has 497 rushing and 344 receiving yards, with 6 touchdowns. Allen is over 1,200 yards and has a team high 7 touchdowns.
The Chargers are at home on December 23rd against Buffalo. After that, the Chargers are at the Denver Broncos, and then on January 7th they will host the Chiefs.
Raiders Likely Without Jacobs
The Las Vegas Raiders are likely without their top running back Josh Jacobs for this game. After leading the National Football League in yards a season ago, it’s been a struggle for the Raiders game in 2023. The Raiders are last in the league of runs of more than 10 yards. Jacobs backup appears to be Zamir White, who has just 20 carries on the season.
Top receiver Davante Adams is 133 yards shy of 1,000 on the season, and is frustrated with the offense, and the season. Adams has four touchdown receptions, while Jakobi Meyers has six. The Raiders are going with Aidan O’Connell under center. The former Purdue signal caller has four touchdowns thrown in 7 games. In total, the Raiders have 11 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions from their quarterbacks.
The Raiders finish the season on the road at the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts, before hosting the Denver Broncos on January 7th.
Chargers Win on the Road
The Las Vegas Raiders are favorites in this game. Neither team looks to be playing good enough football to be very confident on either side. But, in the end, with the loss of Josh Jacobs, the skill players of the Chargers look to be a little more effective.
We are going to take the Los Angeles Chargers +3 on the road at the Las Vegas Raiders. If Stick can get the ball in the hands of his weapons, the Chargers will win this game. Bet the Chargers +3 over the Raiders.
