Thursday Night Football is back! And they’ve got an AFC West match-up on tap for us tonight. It could be sloppy, but it should be more than entertaining as the Raiders make the short trip to take on the Chargers with first place in the division on the line. Welcome back Thursday Night Football… we missed you.
(4-4) Oakland Raiders at
(4-4) San Diego Chargers
So I say this game could be sloppy for two reasons: Philip Rivers and Carson Palmer. Rivers leads the league with 14 interceptions on the year, single-handedly bringing the Chargers down from a division-leading 4-1 to a middle of the pack 4-4. While San Diego’s defense is still playing at a relatively high level, they can’t defend against pick-sixes. Without Malcom Floyd, the Chargers will rely heavily on Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates to stretch the field. (Duh.)
In his six quarters as a Raider, Carson Palmer has six interceptions and has struggled to show any arm strength. Without Darren McFadden in the backfield, the Raiders will have to rely on Palmer’s still-unproven arm to get points on the board. It could be a big night for tight end Kevin Boss if Palmer can’t get anything down-field. Defensively, the Raider front-four are going to get after Philip Rivers as if their playoff lives depended on it. (They might.)
Enjoy the game everyone!
