Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) @ Los Angeles Chargers (7-4)
Sunday, November 30, 4:25 PM ET
There are always a handful of games that just feel super straightforward every single week, and this is one of them. The Las Vegas Raiders are a mess, and even though the Chargers have issues of their own, they're just in a much better spot right now than their AFC West rivals.
The Chargers are coming off of a bye week. They have had time to rest and reset. The Raiders, on the other hand, just fired their offensive coordinator (Chip Kelly) not long after firing their special teams coach. They've got a quarterback who has been a turnover machine and has horrendous weapons on the outside to spread the ball to.
This game is shaping up for the Chargers to win handily. As a matter of fact, the Chargers are opening up as one of the biggest favorites of the week early on as a 9.5-point favorite at home.
What we've seen from the Raiders this season has been bad enough that I'm not so sure Chip Kelly and special teams coordinator Tom McMahon are the only coaches that will lose their jobs. the decision to hire Pete Carroll always felt like a shortsighted move, but even more so now that we're not seeing immediate return on investment.
It's not like the Raiders were some sleeping giant this offseason, but there were pieces in place and Antonio Pierce had this team looking a lot more competitive than Carroll has them looking right now.
This is a chance for the Raiders to spoil things for the Chargers, coming off of a bye, but I'm banking on Jim Harbaugh having his guys ready to go, and Justin Herbert looking refocused after a dismal performance before the bye week against the Jaguars.
Prediction: Chargers win 24-17