Who will cover the spread when the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night Football in week ten AFC West action? It’s not an easy call in what will be the Bolts’ final voyage up to the Bay for this long-standing divisional battle. Both teams are looking good, at least based on last week’s efforts. The Raiders beat the Lions 31-24 to get back to .500 on Sunday, seeing a vital offense once again make up for their other inadequacies. But with two straight wins and now at 4-5, are the Chargers starting to awaken, ready to make one of their patented second-half surges?
Better Late Than Never
It took a while for the Chargers’ engine to turn over, but with two straight wins and a dominant home-win over a 7-1 Packers team, it looks like they have done just that. Injuries were a big part of the equation, and starting to get some guys circulating back into action has helped. Among the improvements made by guys getting healthy include the defense getting a boost from Melvin Ingram getting back in there. On offense, TE Hunter Henry and a finally coming-around-to-speed Melvin Gordon have given Philip Rivers and the offense a big boost.
On offense, more production from the run has given the offense added variety. With Gordon and Austin Ekeler, they can do damage out of the backfield. The offense is varied. With the run taking some attention off the air-attack, we see Mike Williams and Henry putting up some big numbers. Keenan Allen has been quiet after a really fast start. But seeing a less mistake-prone Philip Rivers operate, it offers the promise that we can start seeing this offense hit top-gear at some point this season. And after seeing faulty placekicking all season, getting Michael Badgley back immediately paid off on Sunday. Ingram being in there makes it so offenses can’t hone in on Joey Bosa, and we saw both of them getting to the quarterback well on Sunday. Getting healthier in the secondary could also start to pay off, though they’ve been pretty solid in that regard, with Desmond King and Casey Hayward both stout and making a lot of plays.
Not the Same Flat Oakland Offense
At the beginning of the season, there was little hope for the Oakland offense, especially with their main offseason acquisition blowing up in their faces. But over the course of the season, we see different pieces forming around Derek Carr to help take a sad song and make it better. Getting a playmaking TE like Darren Waller has been a big help. Finding a stud at running back never hurts, and with three 120-yard performances in the last four games, rookie Josh Jacobs has given the Raiders’ run-game some long-missing fangs. And say what you will about the Oakland offensive line. Some of that criticism might be deserved. But since coming off the bye three games ago, they have yielded one lone sack. And when playing the Packers, Texans, and Lions, that’s not half-bad.
Matchup Concerns for Both Teams
With the pass-rushing menace the Chargers are now capable of, we’ll see if the Oakland front can continue to perform at this high of a level. And let’s face it—that Oakland secondary isn’t going to be doing their backers any favors this season. Granted, they kept the Lions to 24 points and won, which is all that matters, giving up over 400 yards to Matthew Stafford last week and allowing wide receivers to put up huge numbers on a regular basis wouldn’t appear to bode well for the purposes of this matchup. Rivers is playing as well as he has all season. With more pieces with which to work and a refreshed run-game, look for the Oakland secondary to be up against it on Thursday. By the same token, with Oakland’s run-game beginning to take hold, that could be a problem for a Chargers’ defense that hasn’t really thrived against the run this season.
- Get more details: Chargers at Raiders NFL Match-up Stats
