You have to feel for the NFL Network, which has gotten some stinkers already this season, as this Thursday they may have one of the ugliest games on the schedule – Oakland at San Diego. The Chargers at 4-8 are well on their way to a losing season, their first in five seasons. The Raiders, as usual, are in the midst of another tough season, sitting at 3-9 entering the game.
If there is a bright spot for the Chargers, it’s that they have owned the Raiders as of late, they have not lost to them since a 34-31 setback in 2003. But for San Diego, they have lost three straight, and they look nothing like the team that made it all the way to the AFC Title game last season. They have dropped games the last two weeks at home, losing to the Colts and Falcons.
It’s been another long season for the Raiders, who actually were 1-1 after two weeks, but since then have lost 8 of their last 10, and already are on their second coach in Tom Cable. JaMarcus Russell has thrown for 1729 yards, and two weeks ago vs the Broncos played his best game as a pro. Last week vs the Chiefs, he was back to the Russell we have all known, going 10-for-28 for 132 yards.
Darren McFadden has had a banged up rookie season, and Justin Fargas seems to be the only choice for any offense, as he last week rushed for 82 yards on 18 carries with a score. Other than that, the Raiders offense is pretty bad, and they are going to have to come up with something to score against the Chargers.
San Diego’s defense is pretty bad though, and can be scored on quite a bit. They allow 367.6 yards per game, and give up 22.8 points per week. Maybe this is the week the Raiders find some offense? Against this years Chargers team, you never can tell.
The Chargers have put up 24.2 points per game this year, but seem to be undone at the wrong times. They are still below the 100-yard per game mark on the ground at 93.4 yards per game. Philip Rivers has thrown for 2955 yards and 23 TD’s, but overall, the Chargers have not been able to get on track all season. They are 2-4 at home.
This will be an ugly game to have to watch, but the Chargers, even on a down season, are still the better team. It’s crazy to think they are still thinking about the playoffs, but if they can run off four in a row, it actually can happen. For now, they will beat the Raiders, and their season for at least one week will remain alive.