By Matthew DelDonna, PSO Director of Football Development
Dec 18, 2020

Another wild showdown between two division rivals kicked off Week 15 as the Los Angeles Chargers visited the Gambling Capital of the World to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite losing Derek Carr to an apparent groin injury early in the game, Marcus Mariota was able to step in and lead the Raiders with an impressive performance off the bench. It wasn’t enough though as Justin Herbert led his team to victory in the final minutes of overtime, 30-27, adding another big performance to his campaign for Offensive Rookie of the Year. 

Enjoy PSO’s Premium Review for the Chargers vs. Raiders on Thursday Night Football:

  • Darren Waller has the most REC YDS (425) over a 3-game span by a TE in NFL history
  • Marcus Mariota is the 1st QB to have 200+ PASS YDS & 75+ RUSH YDS despite not starting the game since (1958)
  • Waller is 1 of 4 TEs to have 2 GP with 150+ REC YDS during a single season in the Super Bowl era
  • Vegas had its longest TD drive in terms of time (11:49) since Dec. 16, 2007 against the Colts
  • Josh Jacobs became the 1st player to reach 2,000 RUSH YDS within his 1st 2 seasons in Raiders franchise history
  • Derek Carr has the most PASS YDS (1,136) on 3rd down among all NFL QBs during 2020
  • Raiders now have the 2nd worst record (5-13) in Dec/Jan regular-season games since 2017 (Panthers)
 
Justin Herbert facts:
 

Final Results: LAC (+154) d. @LV (-174) 30-27 [LAC +3.0 | o52.5]

  • Herbert commanded his team to victory

  • Mariota took control in Carr’s absence

  • Harris Jr.’s clutch INT saved the game

  • Badgley’s struggles continued in the 4th Qtr 

1. Justin Herbert is having one of the greatest rookie seasons of all-time

After being sprung into action due to highly unusual circumstances, Justin Herbert has taken full reigns at QB for the Los Angeles Chargers and has not disappointed. Proving to be a consistent thrower of the football week in and week out, Herbert continues to prove his doubters wrong and gives Chargers fans reason to be excited for the future. He has especially come into his own the last few weeks as he’s now led a couple of last-second wins thanks to his golden arm. Even with the struggles LA has had holding onto late leads, Herbert’s case for OROY continues to grow as he’s putting up some historic production as well. 

2. The Raiders are completely collapsing 

The Raiders’ debut season in Sin City began as a relatively promising one with a major win over the Saints in their first game at Allegiant Stadium and a 6-3 record halfway through the season. Unfortunately for the newly relocated franchise, it seems to just keep losing chips at the blackjack table with its season doing a complete 180, tailspinning into them barely being on the playoff cusp at 7-7. 

Despite having the easiest remaining schedule amongst NFL teams entering the second half, the Raiders have lost four of the last five and would’ve been 5-for-5 if not for now unemployed Gregg Williams calling an all-out blitz on a Hail Mary. Things likely won’t get easier for them given their history of poor December football (4-13 in the last 17 Dec. games). 

3. Get ready for some late-season fireworks

As the season reaches its finale, teams begin to put everything they have out on the field in order to try and secure a playoff spot. Thursday’s game was certainly one of those as Vegas gave all it had despite losing Derek Carr early on in the game. Between the game coming down to the wire, the missed GW-FG and the multiple goal-and-distance plays with the game on the line, this game was yet another late-season classic that fans love this time of the year. It’s the perfect follow-up to last Monday’s classic and could be the makings of more amazing football games with a full slate on Saturday preceding a potential Super Bowl matchup on Sunday.

For a primer on what the colors mean, click here. For LAC’s full Team Outlook, click here 
 

The Chargers might not be in position for a postseason run this year, but if one thing is certain, it’s that Justin Herbert is their QB of the future. After proving his performances earlier this season weren’t one or two-game flukes, Herbert is starting to show his capabilities as a clutch performer and showcased these skills in Thursday night’s OT thriller against the Raiders. Once he inevitably breaks the all-time rookie PASS TD record (currently tied), expect Herbert to win this season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award and give the Chargers a title window while on his rookie deal if they can add some O-Line and defensive help going forward.

The Las Vegas Raiders are now in serious trouble after falling for the fifth time in six games. At 7-7, they aren’t out of the playoff race just yet, but are now walking on incredibly thin ice with just two games left on their schedule. Vegas now has zero room for error, and this may pose as even more of a challenge should Derek Carr have to miss time after leaving Thursday’s game with an apparent groin injury. Luckily, Marcus Mariota stepped in and showed he can keep the Raiders well in contention, so not all hope is lost just yet. Odds leaves them at only a 5% chance of making the playoffs, but they’re not technically out of the race yet.

Full game highlights from the Chargers vs. Raiders Week 15 matchup on TNF can be viewed below.

 

 


 

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