Oakland Raiders: Taking A Closer Look At The AFC Playoff Picture
By Kevin Saito
Los Angeles Chargers (5-6)
Remaining Schedule: Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, @Kansas City Chiefs, @New York Jets, Oakland Raiders
Oakland’s division rival posted a convincing 28-6 road win against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving day to move to 5-6, moving into second place in the AFC West. At least, for the moment.
The game though, lost a bit of its shine given the absence of Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, which seems to have hamstrung Dak Prescott.
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But still, credit where credit is due — the Chargers took care of business and came away with an important win on the road on a national stage.
After an 0-4 start, the Chargers have really been coming on, winning five of their last seven – including a tight game over the Raiders back in Week Six.
The Chargers have been streaky this season. And as seems standard with LA, beset by injuries. But, they’re still a tough out. With Philip Rivers under center, you can’t count the Chargers out.
Their defense gives up a lot of yards, but only the eighth most points in the entire league. They have a bend but don’t break mentality and an opportunistic defense that’s collected a dozen interceptions this season – among the league leaders in that category.
They have a running back in Melvin Gordon that opposing defenses have to respect just enough to allow Rivers to do his thing in slinging the ball all over the field. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. But, when Los Angeles’ offense is clicking, it’s sometimes hard to stop.
Their final six is a mixed bag of teams, most of whom, will be fighting for playoff spots. So, they can’t expect the road ahead to be easy. They should have a pair of wins over Cleveland and the Jets to look forward to, but the other three? It’s anybody’s guess.
Predicted Finish: 8-8