A month ago it may have sounded unfathomable, but the Las Vegas Raiders are looking to close a disappointing campaign with a third straight victory on Sunday as they host the playoff-bound Los Angeles Chargers.
It won’t be an easy task for a Raiders (4-12) team that has suddenly found life in the season’s waning moments. Despite the Chargers (10-6) being locked into the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs, coach Jim Harbaugh plans to play the starters with the full intent of entering the postseason on a winning note.
“We play to win,” Harbaugh told the Lets Go! Podcast. “We’re going to be playing to win at all times. That never changes. I like what Derwin James said. He’s our captain. That leadership’s been already bequeathed to those tremendous leaders that we have on the team, and he said 11 wins sounds better than 10. So we’re attacking it. We’re attacking it with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.
“What are we going to do? Dress 25 guys for the game?”
The Raiders’ sudden uptick in performance has been the subject of controversy among the Silver and Black’s vocal fanbase. After their 10th straight loss — 15-9 to the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 16 — the Raiders were 2-12 and in pole position for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
That presumably would have led to the selection of future franchise quarterback Shedeur Sanders from Colorado. Instead, the Raiders then beat the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints. The result? They’ve now dropped to the projected eighth overall pick after a season that was as dire as any in franchise history.
Regardless, the outside opinions mean little to the people inside the locker room in Nevada.
“(The message is to) finish,” Las Vegas coach Antonio Pierce said. “We all signed up for 17 games, an 18-week schedule. We’ve had a really good month in my opinion, regardless of record. Just seeing the improvement, things that we talked about, and now just a great opportunity against a divisional foe that we know very well, that we saw in Week 1, to finish.”
The Chargers got the better of the Raiders in that season-opening matchup with a convincing 22-10 home victory. JK Dobbins was the star, rushing for 135 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries in his team debut.
Dobbins has a career-high 842 rushing yards with nine touchdowns despite missing four games with a knee injury. Los Angeles has won two straight games, including a convincing 40-7 road drubbing of the New England Patriots last Sunday.
One silver lining for the Raiders has been the historic emergence of rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who broke both Mike Ditka’s record for most receiving yards by a rookie tight end (1,144) and Puka Nacua’s record for most receptions by a rookie (108) in the win over the Saints last Sunday. Bowers also set a franchise receptions for catches in a season, surpassing Darren Waller (107 in 2020).
The Chargers have their own rookie star emerging in Bowers’ former Georgia teammate Ladd McConkey. He is fourth among all rookies in receptions (77) and yards (1,054) and tied for second in TDs (seven) despite missing a game with an AC joint injury.
A big reason for McConkey’s emergence has been his chemistry with Justin Herbert, who has thrown for 3,524 yards and 21 touchdowns this season while throwing only three interceptions.
On the injury front, Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (foot) and guard Jordan Meredith (ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday, while defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson (ankle), defensive tackle John Jenkins (heel), tackle Kolton Miller (wrist) and safeties Isaiah Pola-Mao (hip) and Trey Taylor (back) were limited.
McConkey (toe) was among the Chargers who sat out practice Wednesday, along with running back Gus Edwards (ankle), wide receiver Josh Palmer (foot) and Poona Ford (elbow). Linebacker Denzel Perriman (groin) and tackle Trey Pipkins III (hip) were limited.
