Los Angeles Chargers: Staff predictions for Chargers-Raiders

The Los Angeles Chargers and Oakland Raiders square off for the second time this season as the Chargers look to extend the team’s winning streak to six.

The Los Angeles Chargers will head north to Oakland and square off against the Oakland Raiders for the second time this season. In the teams’ first matchup, the Chargers walked away with a pretty easy 26-10 victory.

The two sides enter Sunday’s contest on polar opposite sides of the spectrum. The Chargers are one of the hottest teams in football, winning five games in a row and hold a 6-2 record.

Meanwhile, the Raiders are coming off a butt-kicking to the San Francisco 49ers and have just one win on the season (which was an overtime win against the Cleveland Browns). The Raiders have lost four games in a row by a -85 point differential.

There is an outside possibility that the game might have to be moved or even delayed in some fashion due to air quality from the wildfires in Northern California. Our hearts are with those affected by the wildfires across California. The safety of those involved is far more important than a football game.

Either way, there will be a football game to play, whether it is in Oakland or elsewhere. Here are our predictions.

Jamaal Artis (11-1): 35-10, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers are on a five-game winning streak and they definitely will extend that as they face the lowly Oakland Raiders.

Their last game was close but the disparity of talent will be on display as the Chargers beat the Raiders on Sunday.

Lamarr Fields (10-4): 38-10, Los Angeles Chargers

This game will be a blowout. Melvin Gordon and Philip Rivers will feast on a weak Raiders defense.

Redan Lopez (9-3): 35-13, Los Angeles Chargers

This game is going to be a blowout. The Chargers are the far superior team; Raiders Coach Jon Gruden has made the Raiders an unwatchable bunch to see on both sides of the ball. The Raiders don’t do anything effective or right on offense or defense.

I am looking for Chargers Quarterback Philip Rivers to get them off to a quick start with a couple of deep touchdown throws right out of the gate to receivers Keenan Allen and Tyrell Williams. As a result, the Raiders will fall behind and do not have the explosive weapons required to mount a comeback.

By the way, the Chargers’ defense is very good and that’s without pass rusher Joey Bosa. This game should allow the Chargers to keep pace with the Chiefs for first place in the AFC West.

Jason Reed (13-2): 30-10, Los Angeles Chargers

I hate predicting a blowout because the Los Angeles Chargers have a tendency to make games much closer than they should be. Just take the last two weeks as an example; those are games the team should have won handily and for different reasons came down to the last play.

However, those are games that the team typically lose and have come out of both with a victory. This is a different Chargers team and that is the difference between a 6-2 record and 4-4 record.

With that being said, and with two relatively bad games for different reasons the last two weeks, the Chargers will come out of the gates firing to make this an easy victory.

Los Angeles is entering a three-game stretch in which the team plays the Raiders, Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals. Those are all games that LA should win and before you know it they might be 9-2.