The San Diego Chargers have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL this year.  They can play the role of the spoiler in what is likely Norv Turner’s last game as the head coach of the Chargers.  The Raiders won a hard fought game 16-13 in O.T. last weekend over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium that kept their playoff hopes alive.  A win over the Chargers, coupled with a Broncos loss in Denver against the Chiefs would give the Raiders the AFC West title.  They also could get into the playoffs as a wildcard with a win over the Chargers and a lot of help tomorrow.  The Raiders beat the Chargers in San Diego, 24-17 earlier this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers should have little problem moving the ball against the Raiders.  Ryan Mathews and Matt Tolbert should have success against a Raiders’ D that is allowing 135.0 yards rushing per game and an utterly amazing 5.1 yards per carry!  Even without a gimpy Vincent Jackson, Philip Rivers should have little problem throwing the ball down the field to TE Antonio Gates and WRs Malcom Floyd and Vincent Brown against a Raiders’ D that is giving up 247.5 yards passing per game so far this year.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Chargers better tighten up the chinstraps in this game.  The Raiders are going to feed the ball to Michael Bush to set up deep passing off play action.  Michael Bush rushed for 157 yards on 30 carries against the Chargers the first time around.  If the Chargers can get a good pass rush on Carson Palmer, he will make the big mistake in this game.  Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey’s speed will likely give the Chargers’ corners fits in this game.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 33, CHARGERS 30

The Chargers are sending three players to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.  30-year old QB Philip Rivers must have impressive everyone late this year, because he was pretty awful early on.  Rivers has played in 15 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has completed 347 of 556 passes (62.4%) for 4,314 yards with 24 TD passes and 19 INTs (86.6 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 23 times for 39 yards (1.7 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  31-year old TE Antonio Gates has made it to another Pro Bowl.  He has played in 12 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has caught 59 passes for 672 yards (11.4 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  26-year old safety Eric Weddle will be the lone defensive player representing the Chargers in this game.  He has played in 15 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has 83 tackles, 7 interceptions, 12 passes defensed and 3 tackles for a loss.

The Chargers have placed 22-year old rookie LB Bront Bird on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season.  Bird played in 9 games for the Chargers this year and he had 14 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  The Chargers shouldn’t miss Bird too much against the Raiders this weekend.

The Chargers’ playoff hopes ended with the thud last Saturday against the Lions in Detroit.  Philip Rivers completed 28 of 53 passes for 299 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs (one of which was returned 4 yards by DE Cliff Avril for a TD).  Ryan Mathews led the way for the Chargers on the ground with 11 carries for 58 yards (5.3 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 16 yards (5.3 avg).  Mike Tolbert pitched in with 9 yards rushing on 4 carries (2.3 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 32 yards (5.3 avg).  WR Malcom Floyd led the way in the passing game for the Chargers in this game with 6 grabs for 95 yards (15.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  TE Antonio Gates (4 rec, 40 yards) and WR Vincent Jackson (2 rec, 41 yards) also pitched in for the Chargers in this game.  The Chargers finished up with 70 yards rushing on 16 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 53 passes (52.8%) for 297 yards as they had possession of the ball for 27:39.

The defense was utterly pathetic for the Chargers in this game.  Safety Steve Gregory led the way for the Chargers on D in this game with 8 tackles.  LB Na’il Diggs (7 tackles) and safety Eric Weddle (6 tackles and 2 passes defensed) also had solid games for the Chargers.  The Lions finished up with 87 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 36 passes (80.6%) for 353 yards.  The Chargers are now eliminated from the playoffs as they now have a 7-8 record.

The Chargers are surging right now as they are only 1 game behind the Broncos in the AFC West.  The have won three games in a row, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 109-38!  The Lions can clinch a wildcard spot in the playoffs with a win today.  They have won two games in a row.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to likely come out throwing the ball as Philip Rivers has been hot lately.  The Lions are going to bring the heat after Rivers, so his O-Line is going to have to step up.  If Rivers has time to throw the ball, he is going to make some big plays down the field to Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd.  Antonio Gates is going to give the Lions’ safeties and linebackers fits in this game.  If the Lions add extra DBs, it will play right into the Chargers’ hands as Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert have been outstanding running the ball and catching it out of the backfield so far this year.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Chargers are going to have to get after Matt Stafford in this game.  If Stafford has time to throw the ball, the Chargers are going to be in big trouble.  The Chargers are going to have to double cover WR Calvin Johnson and play man to man on everyone else.  Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler, Titus Young and Nate Burleson give Stafford a wealth of options in the passing game if the Chargers pay too much attention to Calvin Johnson.  RB Kevin Smith will give the Lions some ground support in this game.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 31, LIONS 30

The Chargers completely destroyed the Ravens last night.  Philip Rivers stayed sharp as he completed 17 of 23 passes for 270 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Ryan Mathews led the way for the Chargers in the running game last night with 26 carries for 90 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg).  Mike Tolbert carried the ball 8 times for 40 yards (5.0 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 18 yards.  WRs Malcom Floyd (5 rec, 96 yards, TD) and Vincent Jackson (3 rec, 84 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Chargers in this game.  The Chargers finished up with 145 yards rushing on 37 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 23 passes (73.9%) for 270 yards as they had possession of the ball for 34:12.

The Chargers played great team defense last night as they racked up 7 sacks!  LB Antwan Barnes was a beast against his old team as he had 6 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 3 QB hits.  LB Bront Bird (6 tackles), LB Shaun Phillips (6 tackles, 1/2 a sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and safety Steve Gregory (6 tackles) also played well last night.  The Ravens finished up with 89 yards rushing on 14 carries (6.4 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 35 passes (68.6%) for 201 yards.  The Chargers are now 7-7 on the season, only 1 game behind the Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

If the Chargers want to keep their slim playoff chances alive, they need to beat the Ravens tomorrow night.  The Chargers have won two games in a row by a combined score of 75-24!  But, they aren’t playing the Jaguars or Bills this week!   The Ravens have won four games in a row by a combined score of 95-50!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to try to stay balanced in this game.  The Ravens are only giving up 85.8 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry, so Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert are going to have to work for every yard they get in the running game.  They could play a huge role in the passing game though as the Ravens already have 45 sacks this year, which means Philip Rivers will have to get rid of the ball quickly…and Mathews and Tolbert have 45 catches each this year.  Antonio Gates will also likely get a lot of balls thrown his way as Rivers isn’t going to have a lot of time in the pocket.  The Chargers have an edge at WR due to the size of Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd, so Rivers might throw some balls down the field and up for grabs.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens win when they run the ball.  The Chargers are giving up 128.9 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry, so Ray Rice is likely licking his chops.  The Chargers don’t have much of a pass rush, so Joe Flacco is likely going to have time to throw the ball.  Flacco will likely be aiming deep for WRs Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith a lot in this game.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, CHARGERS 20

30-year old QB Philip Rivers is suddenly red hot for the San Diego Chargers.  Rivers has completed 46 of 61 passes (75.4%) for 534 yards with 6 TD passes and 0 INTs in his last two games.  The Chargers have scored 75 points in those two games, winning them both.  Rivers has now played in 13 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has completed 302 of 480 passes (62.9%) for 3,745 yards with 22 TD passes and 17 INTs (87.5 QB Rating).  Rivers also has carried the ball 23 times for 39 yards (1.7 ypc) with 1 TD run this year.  The Chargers need Rivers to keep playing well the last three weeks of the season if they are going to have any hope of getting back to the playoffs this year.

The Chargers destroyed the Bills yesterday.  Philip Rivers was sharp again as he completed 24 of 33 passes for 240 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He did lose a fumble in the end zone that resulted in a TD for the Bills.  Ryan Mathews led the way on the ground for the Chargers in this game with 114 yards rushing on 20 carries (5.7 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 34 yards (5.7 avg) in this game.  Mike Tolbert pitched in with 21 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.5 ypc) with 1 TD grab.  TE Antonio Gates led the way in the passing game for the Chargers in this game with 7 grabs for 68 yards (9.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  WRs Vincent Jackson (5 rec, 55 yards) and Patrick Crayton (3 rec, 37 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Chargers in the passing game.  The Chargers finished up with 150 yards rushing on 32 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 33 passes (72.7%) for 216 yards as they had possession of the ball for 35:33.

The defense was outstanding for the Chargers yesterday.  Safety Steve Gregory led the way for the Chargers on D in this game with 7 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 26 yards for a TD.  CB Quentin Jammer (6 tackles) and LB Takeo Spikes (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) also had solid games for the Chargers.  Safety Eric Weddle and CB Marcus Gilchrist each pitched in with a interception in this game.  The Bills finished up with 96 yards rushing on 20 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 37 passes (40.5%) for 185 yards.  The Chargers are now 6-7 on the season.

The Chargers have waived 29-year old G/T Ike Ndukwe.  He played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Chargers this year.  He has now played in 35 games (18 starts) in his first six years in the NFL.  Rumors have it that Ndukwe was cut due to a wicked fight in practice this week, which he won by fighting a little dirty.  No loss here as Ndukwe was just a backup.