Raiders Offense Will Continue To Struggle

Chargers vs. Raiders, 8:15 ET

This could be one of the ugliest games that we get in the NFL this week. Surely it won't be as bad as the last game the Raiders played... right? I would almost feel bad for Amazon if they weren't raking in a ridiculous amount of money off of this and almost everything else that they do. Thursday Night Football has been terrible most of this season, but sports betting salvages all. Tonight, it will once again do its thing as we have a play on the game between the Chargers and Raiders.

Coming into a game without your starting quarterback is very difficult to win. It is made a bit easier when you are playing another team with their backup quarterback. Justin Herbert is down for the count and will not return this season. Herbert is another in the long list of starting quarterbacks to miss a significant chunk of time this year. The Chargers starter was having a good year with 20 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He also was fifth in QBR, so the replacement will be a difficult one. That replacement is Easton Stick. He came into the game last week and was respectable enough, going 13-for-24 and 179 yards. His best play, by far, came on a bomb to a receiver that set them up for their lone touchdown. To be honest, when I saw the play (I was watching Red Zone), I thought it was Herbert. I didn't even know that he had been injured at that time. You have to imagine that the Raiders are just going to load the box against the Chargers in this and dare anyone other than Austin Eckler to beat them. The thing is, the Chargers have nothing to lose in this game. Stick can be absolutely terrible in his shot and still be a backup somewhere. If he is great, he can potentially get a starting gig somewhere, or more money as a backup. Their head coach, Brandon Staley, is on the hot seat. This could be a good opportunity for him to have a wide open playbook and take some risks. If you lose, you're getting fired anyway. If you win, you're still probably getting fired, but at least maybe you make the decision tougher.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 26: Keenan Allen #13 of the Los Angeles Chargers on the field during warm-ups before the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

The Raiders are in somewhat of a similar predicament, but their team has been dysfunctional pretty much from the kickoff of this season. They lost Jimmy Garoppolo to injury early in the year and have decided to bench him. Davante Adams, their star wide receiver, has been openly unhappy about the team this season. He is the lone bright spot for the squad though. Barring injury, he should get to his fourth straight 1,000-yard season. The issue is that is still three to five hundred fewer yards than he can get to. He also only has four touchdowns this season, that will be just the second time in eight years he hasn't found the endzone 10 or more times. The Raiders come in on a three-game losing streak, and their most recent loss was a 3-0 loss. Not a typo. This wasn't weather-related. This wasn't anything other than two offenses that couldn't do anything. The defenses for both teams aren't historically good or anything either. The teams were just playing bad football. I don't think the Raiders offense will get everything together in this short week.

The Chargers don't have the best defense in the world, but they should have a good enough defense to stop this Raiders team. I'm taking the Raiders under 19.5 points in this game. The total sounds low, but these teams play each other regularly and are familiar with each other. The Chargers defense should be good enough to stop Josh Jacobs and Adams. I think the Chargers probably win this game too. I like what I saw out of Stick and think that as long as the offensive line gives him some time, his weapons will get the job done. I'll back the under as the official play, but think the points or even money line with the Chargers is a good look too.

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