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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Gavino Borquez, Alex Insdorf, Alex Katson and Valentina Martinez

Staff predictions for Chargers vs. Raiders in Week 15

The Los Angeles Chargers kick off Week 15 against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, Dec. 14 at 5:20 p.m. PT.

Who is going to come out victorious?

Here is a look at the predictions from each of our writers at Chargers Wire:

Gavino:

If your wife asks you to go out to dinner or go see Christmas lights tonight, go forth with the plans as this game will be far from enticing between two lackluster offenses. Expect a low-scoring affair between the two teams. Whoever executes more on defense and on special teams will win. I’m going with the Chargers.

Chargers 13, Raiders 10

Alex K:

Don’t expect very much offense in this game, as the Chargers will start Easton Stick for the first time in his career. The Raiders, meanwhile, failed to score last week against the Vikings and may be missing star running back Josh Jacobs. With Keenan Allen out for LA as well, this will be a rock fight that will come down to special teams execution.

Chargers 13, Raiders 10

Alex I:

This will most likely be a low-scoring game considering the state of both offenses. Easton Stick vs. Aidan O’Connell was probably not the matchup Al Michaels expected on Amazon’s TNF broadcast.

Ultimately, the separating aspect for me is O’Connell having more pro experience under his belt in this one and the Chargers generally being the more hampered team with injuries. Maxx Crosby will also make it incredibly hard for the Chargers’ offense to get going if he performs near or above the level that he did in their last matchup.

This is a must-win game for the Chargers to keep their very slim playoff hopes alive. More importantly, it’s a game that likely will determine a lot with Brandon Staley’s fate hanging in the balance. I don’t see the Chargers getting the result they need though.

Raiders 13, Chargers 10

Valentina:

The Chargers take on their divisional rivals, the Raiders, short of their starting quarterback Justin Herbert and veteran wideout Keenan Allen. Although both teams have the same record at 5-8 and Las Vegas also has a number of players out with injuries, I don’t see this matchup going in the Bolts’ favor. It’s likely that quarterback Easton Stick will connect with rookie receiver Quentin Johnston well but that won’t be enough to seal the deal.

Raiders 17, Chargers 10

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