Sunday 4PM #1 – Oakland Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers

This might not sound like the most exciting game to watch on the final Sunday of regular season football, but to be honest, we don’t have much to choose from. Despite the Chargers penchant for letting games and seasons slip away from them, they almost always put up a good fight for 3 quarters. Besides, who else hates the Raiders more than the Chargers? No one. A little hate-fueled battle on Sunday afternoon will be fun to watch.

Keys to the Game

Raiders

The Raiders will walk their way to victory if they can get pressure on Philip Rivers. LA has had a very difficult time protecting Rivers in the past and with a weapon like Khalil Mack at their disposal, the Raiders can really wreak some havoc on that Chargers offense. If Rivers isn’t able to be effective, the Chargers offense will collapse and the game will be over. It’s that simple for Oakland in this one.

Chargers

This game could go either way for LA. To get a win, they’re going to need Joey Bosa to disrupt the passing game behind the line and for the secondary to lock down Cooper and Crabtree on the outside. That will keep things manageable for a Chargers offense that has struggled at times. However, if they’re firing on all cylinders with both the passing game and the running game, they could very well run away with this one. Melvin Gordon has matured as a runner and is a dangerous weapon that takes the heat off of Rivers in the backfield. It will also open up passing lanes for Keenan Allen and Mike Williams down the field. It won’t be easy, but it can be done.