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Preview and Prediction: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:10 p.m. ET

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An in-depth preview of the Oakland Raiders Week 15 matchup with the San Diego Chargers, along with a prediction.

The Oakland Raiders (10-3) will look to clinch their first playoff birth in 14 years with a win over the San Diego Chargers (5-8) at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday.

Raiders coach Jack Del Rio spoke to his team’s preparation and the strength of the Chargers earlier in the week.

“Busy in our preparation, ready for a trip down to San Diego and taking on the Chargers, Del Rio said,” per Raiders.com. “Good football team, well coached, lot of talent. They’ve had a lot of injuries this year and Philip Rivers doesn’t miss a beat. The defense has been playing very well with [defensive coordinator John] Pagano leading the way down there and I just think they’re doing a good job. So, we’re getting ourselves geared up, bouncing back onto next.”

After losing to the Kansas City Chiefs last week, the Raiders have no room for error heading into their final three games of the season. A win in San Diego is paramount.

Here is a preview and prediction of the Raiders’ Week 15 matchup against the Chargers.

Dec 24, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders nose tackle Denico Autry (96) sacks San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) for a safety during the third quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Raiders defeated the San Diego Chargers 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Chargers’ run game will fall, Philip Rivers will follow suit

Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is expected to miss Sunday’s affair after suffering a hip injury last week, leaving rookie running back Kenneth Farrow and quarterback Philip Rivers to pick up the slack on offense.

Farrow, an undrafted player out of the University of Houston, can barely hold the weight of his pads let alone the Chargers’ offense. He has carried the ball 36 times for just 125 yards in 11 games.

It will be up to the wily veteran under center to put the Chargers’ offense on his back in relief of the inexperienced back.

However, Rivers has too often struggled to overcome San Diego’s poor offensive line and injury-plagued roster, forcing him to make poor decisions with the football and further drive the Chargers’ offense into the ground.

Rivers leads the league with 17 interceptions through 13 games. He has thrown 10 interceptions in his last four starts.

San Diego Union-Tribune’s Tom Krasovic bashed Rivers for his “decision-making and accuracy” after his ugly performance in the Chargers’ 16-28 loss to the Carolina Panthers last week. He completed just 21 of 39 passes for 236 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. He also added two lost fumbles to his already abysmal performance.

Oakland’s defense is more than capable of applying similar pressure on Rivers this week, so a similar result is to be expected.

Rivers is still capable of heroic feats any time he is under center. But with the run game now falling to the wayside, his cape is just too heavy for him to take flight.

Nov 6, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) points towards the crowd after a defensive stop against the Denver Broncos in the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Raiders’ edge-rushers will trounce Chargers’ tackles

Raiders defensive ends Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin are easily one of the most feared pass-rushing duos in the league to date, and there’s no doubt the Chargers’ offensive line is shaking in their boots.

Mack will roll into Qualcomm Stadium with a head of steam, as he has registered a sack in eight consecutive games and a strip-sack in his last three games. He will set a franchise record if he picks up his ninth consecutive sack against San Diego, and there isn’t much standing in his way.

Chargers left tackle King Dunlap and right tackle Joe Barksdale have received low grades this season, as they rank 50th and 67th, respectively, among all NFL tackles, per ProFootballFocus.com.

The Chargers will throw everything but the kitchen sink at Mack to slow him down off the edge, leaving Irvin with more room to dominate opposite of Raiders’ game-wrecker.

Sep 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers defensive back Casey Hayward (26) intercepts a pass during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Casey Hayward will throw a wrench in Carr’s engine

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is rarely affected by the strength of opposing team’s secondaries, but Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward is one of the few capable of pulling Carr back down to earth.

Hayward, PFF.com‘s fourth-ranked corner in the NFL, leads the league with seven interceptions and has 50 combined tackles and 18 pass deflections. The star-studded defensive back will look to bolster his stat line against Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree.

Crabtree has struggled to remain consistent in recent weeks, bringing in more than 27 receiving yards just twice in the last five games. His lack of production has often forced Carr to look to other receivers, which hasn’t helped the Raiders’ passing attack.

Most recently, Crabtree struggled to overcome the wrath of Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters in Week 14. He brought in just four of seven targets for 21 yards.

It’s no coincidence that Carr put together one of his worst performances of the season that day. He completed just 17 of 41 passes for 117 yards.

If Crabtree is unable to get the best of Hayward, Carr will need to lean on other receiving targets to mirror his production in the passing game, a feat that hasn’t come easily to the Silver and Black.

Mack won’t have a place to wash his hands, but that shouldn’t matter.

Nov 27, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws as center Rodney Hudson (61) and offensive guard Kelechi Osemele (70) block against the Carolina Panthers during the second half at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Raiders’ offensive line will be tested on the edge

The Raiders’ offensive line is coveted as one of the best units in the country, but even the best heavyweight contenders are knocked down against elite competition. Oakland’s big men could have their heads hit the canvas against Chargers defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.

Bosa has surprised the league with his ability to so quickly adjust to the speed of the NFL after being drafted in the first round of this year’s draft. The former Ohio State product has picked up two sacks and five combined tackles against the Raiders in his NFL debut in Week 5, and he has only continued to climb into the conversation for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Del Rio acknowledged Bosa’s play this season earlier this week.

“We saw him in his first game and got two sacks against us,” Del Rio said, per Raiders.com. “He’s very active, looks like they have a good young player that we’ll be seeing at least twice a year for a long time. Good player.”

Bosa has 27 combined tackles, four tackles for loss and leads the Chargers with 6.5 sacks.

Playing in 399 defensive snaps this season, Bosa has earned the fourth-highest grade (88.9) among the NFL’s edge-defenders. His teammate Ingram

Ingram has managed to have a strong season in Bosa’s shadow. The fifth-year veteran has six sacks this season falls just two spots lower down PFF.com‘s list at 87.1.

With that being said, Raiders tackles Donald Penn and Austin Howard have every reason to worry heading into Sunday’s matchup.

Prediction: Oakland Raiders 34; San Diego Chargers 20