The big question coming into Sunday’s game in Las Vegas was whether the Chargers would have something to play for. A reason to want to win. And thus whether they would rest their starters for the playoffs.
That question was answered Saturday night. And the answer is yes. As in, yes, they have something to play for.
You see, the Bengals beat the Steelers 19-17 Saturday night, which means if the Chargers win tomorrow, they get the fifth seed and face the four seed Houston Texans. If they lose, they get the six seed and face the three seed Ravens; a far tougher matchup.
So, yeah, they want to win this one. And therefore I would not expect the Chargers to be resting any starters for this one.
The Raiders will get Jim Harbaugh’s best shot with his full arsenal of Justin Herbert and company as they look to set themselves up for their best shot at winning in the playoffs. While the Raiders will just hope to make those efforts as difficult as possible.