The second round of the Chargers-Raiders rivalry takes place this Sunday at StubHub Center in Carson, California as the Los Angeles Chargers (8-7) host the Oakland Raiders (6-9) to make one last push to secure the final AFC Wild Card spot.
There will be a lot on the line when both teams take the field for this season-finale matchup. The Chargers are not out of the playoff race just yet as their win over the New York Jets kept them alive and now they need help to make the postseason.
The Chargers will clinch a playoff spot if they defeat the Raiders and the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills both lose their games. They could also make the postseason if they beat the Raiders, the Titans lose and the Baltimore Ravens defeat the Cincinnati Bengals.
The first time these two teams met in week 6, it came down to the very end as the Chargers defeated the Raiders in Oakland 17-16 thanks to a 32-yard game-winning field goal by Nick Novak.
In that game Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had a rough outing as he passed for just 171 yards, one touchdown, two picks and finished with a 67.5 passer rating.
Most of the Chargers struggles this season are due to their inconsistent defense, which has a Jekyll and Hyde personality. They are not hard to run on, but throwing on them is a different matter.
The Chargers have allowed just 195 passing yards per game, which is good for 3rd best in the league, and opposing quarterbacks have mustered just a 77.3 passer rating against them, which ranks them 4th in the league.
But their run defense has been atrocious. It allows 132.9 rushing yards per game, which ranks them dead last in the league, and that is happening because they allow opponents to rush for 4.9 yards per attempt, which also ranks 32nd in NFL. So, if Oakland wants to win this game Marshawn Lynch and the rest of the Raiders running back should get the ball early and often.
Motivation and home-field advantage should be enough for the Chargers to win this one as Los Angeles will most likely find a way to defeat its division rival and hope they get the help they need to clinch the last AFC Wild Card spot.
