It’s amazing how quickly things can change in an NFL season — one minute the Oakland Raiders are the surprise darlings of the 2019 season, and the next they’re back to being the laughingstock. The one question I’ve got left for this season, however, is simple: can the narrative change one more time?
Sitting at 6-8, the Raiders still have a chance to finish the season at .500 with road games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos — both teams they’ve already beaten this season.
This Sunday the Raiders will help the Chargers close down their temporary Los Angeles stadium in what will likely amount to a Raider home game. Having failed to send the Oakland fans home with a win, is it possible they’ll be able to right their wrongs with the L.A. faithful?
Here are the keys…
Pick City
In his last five games (including the November 7 tilt against the Raiders), Phillip Rivers has thrown 11 interceptions — including three games with three or more picks. One of those was against the Raiders, as his third and final pick of the game was the interception by Karl Joseph to seal the win.
While the Raider defense has been pretty dreadful overall, the one thing they’ve had a propensity to do is be opportunistic against bad quarterbacks. If the defense wants to turn this season around one more time, it’ll probably require a handful of turnovers.
Salt and Pepper
Not only has Phillip Rivers been loose with the ball of late, but he’s also been under a fair amount of pressure — taking 14 sacks over the same five-game stretch (including five at the hands of the Raiders). Largely responsible for that output? The Raider rookies Clelin Ferrell (2.5 sacks) and Maxx Crosby (0.5 sacks, 1.5 TFL) — also known as Salt and Pepper.
It’s no surprise to see high sack numbers lead to high interception numbers, so it will be interesting to see whether the Chargers can adjust their game plan in a way to slow down the Raider rookies.
Washington Breakout?
On the verge of free agency, Raiders running back DeAndre Washington is going to get the audition he has probably been longing for since coming to Oakland. With Josh Jacobs ruled out, Washington figures to get the lion’s share of carries on Sunday — and it will be interesting to see whether he can establish himself as a potential lead back in this league.
The Charger defense is allowing 110.3 yards per game on the ground this season, but they did limit the Raiders to just 78 yards last time they played — a number that was sitting at 60 until Oakland’s final offensive play of the game (and 18-yard touchdown run from Josh Jacobs).
Williams Revenge Game?
Speaking of guys needing a breakout, former Chargers wide receiver Tyrell Williams fits that description like a glove. After posting 20 catches for 307 yards and five touchdowns over the first five games this season, Williams has just 18 catches for 262 yards and one touchdown in the seven games since.
Part of the reason this is so fascinating is because the Raiders can get out of every penny owed to Williams prior to next season if they wanted — meaning he’ll need to show Jon Gruden a bit more over the next two weeks if he wants to be back (and making $11 million). Why not start this week against your former team, right? Last time out against the Chargers, he recorded just three catches for 25 yards.
Prediction: Chargers 28, Raiders 24
I think Gruden gets the guys up for this one — and the L.A. crowd definitely helps — but with no Jacobs or Trent Brown or Richie Incognito, I just don’t see it coming together. The Chargers are playing hard and are two weeks removed from beating the same Jaguars team Oakland couldn’t, 45-10. Then again, I think I’ve missed on my Raiders prediction three of the last four weeks, so maybe this is just what the team needs?
