It’s been a successful first season under Jim Harbaugh for the Chargers. They sit at 10-6 entering Week 18 with a playoff berth already locked up. It all comes down to seeding, as they can lock up the fifth seed with a win over the Raiders and face the Texans in the wild-card round.
That would give them a much easier matchup in the first round of the playoffs, so don’t expect Harbaugh to take this game lightly.
Here are some bold predictions for this weekend’s final regular season game against the Raiders.
Chargers finish as best scoring defense in the NFL
Heading into Week 18, the Chargers have the best defense in the NFL. They allow just 17.6 points per game, seven fewer points than the Chiefs and nine fewer than the Eagles. The Raiders offense ranks just 28th in the NFL with 18.1 points per contest. In other words, this one isn’t even really a “bold” prediction and seems more likely than anything. Still, imagine before the season if I told you Jesse Minter would lead the best defense in the league in 2024.
Defense holds Raiders to under 50 rushing yards
It’s not surprising when you look at the names in their running back room, but the Raiders have had the worst ground attack in the NFL in 2024. They average just 82.4 rushing yards per game, as Alexander Mattison’s 400 yards leads the team. In the matchup between these two back in Week 1, the Raiders finished with just 71 yards on the ground on 3.2 yards per attempt. In a game in which the Chargers should control from the jump, the Raiders will have trouble getting anything going in the run game in this one.
Derius Davis goes for career-high in receiving yards
Joshua Palmer, the Chargers’ second-leading wideout, has been ruled out for Week 18. Davis has recently seen an uptick in playing time on offense, and he’s earned all of it. In the last two games, he’s combined for four catches, 60 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. Now, his career high of 31 receiving yards was set back in Week 16, and it’s not crazy to think he can top that number in this contest. Davis has earned an increase in playing time, and Palmer’s injury only reinforces that further.