In one that they needed badly, the Chargers were unable to deliver after suffering defeat to the Raiders on the national stage. The loss dropped Los Angeles to 4-6, but their playoff hopes are still alive.

Let’s see where the Bolts are viewed in power rankings.

USA Today: 19 (Previous: 19)

“Key injuries … Philip Rivers trying to do too much … off-field distractions … we’ve definitely entered “same-old Chargers” territory.”

Touchdown Wire: 22 (Previous: 22)

“Last Thursday night, Oakland rookie Josh Jacobs’ 18-yard touchdown run with 1:02 left in the game gave the Raiders a 26-24 lead over the Chargers. The Raiders then kicked off to the Chargers, who gave the ball to Philip Rivers in the hope that he could engineer a crucial win. What resulted was probably the worst drive of Rivers’ career. The veteran shot-putted the ball all over the field, and only one of his seven passes didn’t fall incomplete — his last pass of the night, which was caught by Oakland safety Karl Joseph.”

NFL: 18 (Previous: 18)

“Philip Rivers is currently on the dark web searching for mind-eraser technology to wipe away a lost Thursday night in Oakland. The Chargers quarterback threw three interceptions and had two more picks nullified by penalty in a 26-24 loss to the Raiders that put Los Angeles’ playoff hopes in serious doubt. Rivers was under constant duress due to a surprisingly meddlesome Oakland front seven, which had its way with an L.A. offensive line missing both starting tackles. The low point for the Chargers came on a final possession that went like this: incompletion, incompletion, incompletion, penalty (first down), incompletion, incompletion, incompletion, interception. Like I said, Philip Rivers is scouring the digital underground in search of mind-eraser hardware. Next up for the Chargers? A showdown against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Mexico City. It’s a virtual must-win for the Bolts.”

ESPN: 19 (Previous: 19)

“At 4-6, the most important game for the Chargers is the next one, a Monday Night Football tilt against the AFC West rival Chiefs. With Kansas City losing over the weekend against the Titans, the Chargers still sit two games back in the division with six left to play. So even though it has been up-and-down year for the Bolts, they could catapult themselves back into the playoff conversation with a win over the Chiefs.”

Sports Illustrated: 19 (Previous: 18)

“Tough one to drop in primetime for a team that had a chance to take more steps away from the brink. The Chargers go as Phillip Rivers goes, and three interceptions were too much to overcome despite Melvin Gordon’s best game of the season (133 total yards, 1 TD).”

CBS Sports: 18 (Previous: 18)

“They can’t turn the ball over the way they did against the Raiders and expect to be a playoff team. That loss to the Raiders was a momentum killer.”

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