Las Vegas Raiders bold predictions for Week 15 against the Chargers.
Things were looking up for the Las Vegas Raiders just a month ago. At the end of November, they were 6-3 and appeared primed to make it into the NFL Playoffs. But after losing three of their last four games and just narrowly beating the Jets, the needle is, unfortunately, pointing down for Jon Gruden’s club heading into the home stretch.
However, the silver lining is that the Raiders are still in the playoff hunt but they can’t afford any more letdowns. That includes their Thursday Night Football matchup with a 4-9 Los Angeles Chargers team that is far more dangerous than their record would suggest. So can Las Vegas take care of business at Allegiant Stadium in Week 15?
Let’s see if they can as we make three bold predictions for the Las Vegas Raiders in this AFC West matchup with postseason hopes hanging in the balance.
3. Carr, Agholor duel with Herbert, Allen
Both Derek Carr and Justin Herbert have exceeded expectations in the 2020 season, the former by producing one of the best seasons of his career and the latter by stepping in as the starter and being an immediate impact player. And when you look at the defenses of the Chargers and Raiders, they should offer little resistance in stopping this trend.
While Henry Ruggs III is out on the COVID/Reserve list, expect Carr to look the way of Nelson Agholor often on Thursday. Meanwhile, Herbert will continue to pepper Keenan Allen against this weakened Vegas secondary. At the end of the day, each wideout will have over 100 yards and a score while each quarterback tops 300 yards and has at least three touchdown passes.
2. Jacobs bottled up by the Chargers
The Josh Jacobs will-he-won’t-he-play saga of last week won’t repeat as the Raiders running back has no injury designation this week. Moreover, the Chargers run defense has plenty of warts that teams can take advantage of. Unfortunately, I don’t believe Jacobs is able to do that.
Even if he’s healthy, Jacobs hasn’t looked 100 percent really at any point this season. He’s averaging a meager 3.8 yards per carry. Moreover, with the passing attacks both firing on Thursday night, Jacobs will get lost in the shuffle. The result will be another game under 60 yards for the young running back.
1. Late forced turnover keeps the Las Vegas Raiders alive
Coming into this game, the Raiders are extremely short-handed on defense as Damon Arnette, Clelin Ferrell, Johnathan Abram and Nicholas Morrow, among others, have all been ruled out. But up against a young quarterback and a team prone to late mistakes, it won’t matter.
Simply put, the Raiders are the only team in this game with something to play for. Gruden will have his guys fired up to close out a back-and-forth affair and the ailing Las Vegas defense will pick off Herbert late in the fourth quarter to seal a victory that keeps the silver and black in the playoff race.