Chargers are favored to beat the Raiders when they meet Sunday in Las Vegas
Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) at Las Vegas (4-12)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, CBS
BetMGM NFL odds: Chargers by 4 1/2
Against the spread: Chargers 11-5; Raiders 7-9
Series record: Raiders lead 72-57-1
Last meeting: Chargers defeated the Raiders 22-10 on Sept. 8 in Inglewood, California.
Last week: Chargers beat the Patriots 40-7; Raiders defeated the Saints 25-10
Chargers offense: overall (23), rush (18), pass (21), scoring (12)
Chargers defense: overall (12), rush (16), pass (8), scoring (1)
Raiders offense: overall (25), rush (32), pass (13), scoring (28)
Raiders defense: overall (10), rush (11), pass (11), scoring (25)
Turnover differential: Chargers plus-11; Raiders minus-15
Chargers player to watch
WR Ladd McConkey has set franchise rookie records for catches (77) and yards (1,054) in a season. He has nine straight games with at least 50 receiving yards, tied with Odell Beckham Jr. for the longest streak by a rookie.
Raiders player to watch
QB Aidan O’Connell has his last chance this season to show he should be the starter going forward. It will be a difficult case for him to make given his inconsistencies, but O’Connell is a second-year pro with room to grow. The Raiders’ two-game winning streak also makes it more likely the club will have little choice but to turn to O’Connell if it doesn’t try to move up in the NFL draft.
Key matchup
Raiders TE Brock Bowers vs. Chargers S Derwin James Jr. James defended Bowers a large majority of the time in the first meeting, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, and held him to one catch for 8 yards. Bowers enters this game with league rookie tight end records of 108 receptions for 1,144 yards.
Key injuries
Chargers RB Gus Edwards could miss his second straight game because of an ankle injury. WRs Ladd McConkey (toe) and Josh Palmer (foot) did not practice on Wednesday and are likely questionable. S Alohi Gilman (hamstring) is on injured reserve but has resumed practicing. … RB Ameer Abdullah (foot) is a situation worth monitoring given he provided the Raiders their first 100-yard rushing game last weekend. G Jordan Meredith (ankle) has missed the past two games.
Series notes
The Chargers hope to sweep the Raiders for the first time since 2018. … Both teams have split the season series every year since 2020. … The most recent time either side won back-to-back meetings occurred when the Chargers won in 2020 and 2021. Those games ended a three-game series winning streak by the Raiders. … The Raiders have won the past three meetings in Las Vegas. Los Angeles’ lone victory at Allegiant Stadium was in 2020, its first trip to Las Vegas.
Stats and stuff
The Chargers have not won at least 11 games since 2018. … This is the fourth time in five seasons as an NFL head coach Jim Harbaugh has led a team to the playoffs. … QB Justin Herbert has 20,747 passing yards, the most by a player in his first five seasons. Herbert has three straight games with multiple touchdown passes. … RB J.K. Dobbins had a season-high 135 rushing yards in the Week 1 meeting. He has at least 50 scrimmage yards in the 12 games he has played. … WR Quentin Johnston has at least five catches in three of his past four games. … LB Joey Bosa has a sack in four straight games against the Raiders. … LB Khalil Mack is the only player in the NFL with at least 10 sacks in each of the past 10 seasons. … S Derwin James had his first game with two sacks last week. … The Raiders’ Bowers is nine catches from passing Zach Ertz’s record of 116 catches from setting the NFL’s single-season record at that position. Ertz set his mark in 2018. Bowers also is 56 yards short of becoming the ninth tight end with 1,200 yards in a season. … The Raiders have a higher pressure rate, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, without DE Maxx Crosby (42.6%) than with him on the field (31.1%). The added pressure is a major reason the Raiders have maintained a strong pass rush even with Crosby out for the season with an ankle injury. They have 17 sacks in their past five games. … Las Vegas has at least one sack in 34 consecutive games, the league’s third-longest active streak. It’s also the third longest in franchise history. … LB Robert Spillane now is one of only three players in Raiders history with at least 100 tackles and multiple interceptions and sacks, something he now has accomplished for the second year in a row. Eric Barton in 2002 and Greg Biekert in 1999 were the others to hit that trifecta.
Fantasy tip
Chargers WR Derius Davis, known mostly for his skills as a kickoff and punt returner, has two straight games with a touchdown catch. Davis will likely get plenty of snaps if the Chargers will have a postseason spot wrapped up.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
By The Associated Press
