The Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers are both trying to avoid three-game losing skids in Week 7, but barring a rare tie, one of them will be on that once Sunday's slate of games are in the books. The AFC West isn't exactly a wide open race at this stage, with the undefeated Denver Broncos on top and the Chargers, Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs all limping along in pursuit.
Raiders vs. Chargers 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The AFC West crown appears out of reach, but the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers are still looking to avoid three consecutive losses on Sunday.
Some would say it’s a pointless pursuit, but stranger things have happened in the NFL. Oakland, at 2-3, is in terrible shape and while the 2-4 Chargers also have a long way to go, they have a strong roster. But neither team has been able to put it together this year.
Oakland lost to the Chicago Bears in Week 4, a surprising result given that everyone was talking about the Bears potentially being the worst team in the league at the time. They followed that up with a hard-fought game against Peyton Manning and the Broncos, but they came up short there as well, losing by six points. They've played in multiple close games this season, but have only managed to pull out wins over the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, two bad teams.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is playing well for them, which is a great change. Oakland may not be able to field a complete, effective team just yet, but it has its franchise quarterback. Carr has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 1,171 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He's got a nice rhythm going with rookie Amari Cooper and free agent pickup Michael Crabtree.
But the Raiders aren't moving the ball as well as they need to. They rank just 24th in the league in passing yardage, and the running game may as well not exist -- they rank 31st in rushing with just 450 yards on the season. Only the Detroit Lions rank worse on the ground.
San Diego would represent their best opportunity to turn things around on the ground, however. The Chargers rank 30th in the league against the run, allowing 795 yards, with only the Browns and New Orleans Saints ranking worse. San Diego's secondary has fared much better this season, ranking 12th in the league overall. So the Raiders may need to hit the ground running.
Latavius Murray is Oakland's starting running back and he's been spotty at best this year. He ran for 139 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Browns in September, but he had just 88 yards over the team's two-game losing skid. He had just two carries in the second half against the Broncos. He's averaging 4.2 yards per carry, but had just 3.3 and 3.0 yards per carry in Oakland's last two games.
The Chargers have had no trouble moving the football. They've had trouble winning games, but they rank first in the league in total yardage, with 433.0 yards per game on average on the offensive side of the ball. The Raiders will have their hands full trying to halt Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon.
How to watch
When: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Calif.
Network: CBS
Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Steve Tasker, Steve Beuerlein
Online: NFL Game Pass
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