Las Vegas
4th AFC West0-1
Los Angeles
2nd AFC West0-0
Las Vegas @ Los Angeles preview
Dignity Health Sports Park
Last Meeting ( Dec 31, 2017 ) Oakland 10, L.A. Chargers 30
Two quarterbacks with penchants for airing out the ball square off Sunday as the Los Angeles Chargers host the Oakland Raiders in a matchup between AFC West rivals. San Diego's Philip Rivers ranks among the top signal-callers in the NFL in several categories this season while Oakland's Derek Carr is one of the league leaders in passing yards through four games.
Rivers enters Week 5 ranked sixth in the NFL with a 110.8 passer rating and is tied for second with 11 touchdown tosses for the Chargers, who evened their record with a 29-27 home triumph over San Francisco last week. The 36-year-old threw for 250 yards - and three scores - in the victory to increase his career total to 51,504, moving him past John Elway for eighth place on the all-time list. Carr is fourth in the league this year with 1,373 passing yards after registering 437 and four TDs on 35-of-58 passing in Oakland's 45-42 overtime triumph over visiting Cleveland last Sunday. It was the first victory of the second coaching stint with the Raiders for Jon Gruden, who guided the team to a 7-3 record against the Chargers during his first tenure.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Chargers -5. O/U: 52.5
ABOUT THE RAIDERS (1-3): Marshawn Lynch rushed for 130 yards in last week's win, his highest total since joining the Raiders for the 2017 season following a one-year retirement. The 32-year-old native of Oakland, who was limited in practice on Thursday due to a reported shoulder injury - although the team lists him as having an abdominal issue - ran for 101 yards twice last year, including at Los Angeles in the season finale. Safety Reggie Nelson made his 37th career interception last week, which is tops among active players, while Jared Cook leads all NFL tight ends with 370 receiving yards after gaining 110 on eight catches against the Browns.
ABOUT THE CHARGERS (2-2): Los Angeles possesses a pair of dual threats in the backfield as running backs Melvin Gordon (475) and Austin Ekeler (351) are the only teammates in the league at their position this season that have each recorded at least 350 yards from scrimmage. Gordon, who ran for 104 yards against San Francisco and gained another 55 on seven receptions, has scored five touchdowns (three rushing) in his last three games. Antonio Gates made his first TD catch of the year last week to raise his career total to 115, which is the most by a tight end in NFL history.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Raiders placed veteran T Donald Penn (groin) on injured reserve and signed OL Ian Silberman.
2. Los Angeles changed punters this week, coaxing Donnie Jones out of retirement to replace Drew Kaser, who was waived.
3. Oakland WR/PR Dwayne Harris was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after recording 98 yards on five punt returns versus Cleveland, including a 49-yarder that was the team's longest since 2010.
PREDICTION: Chargers 37, Raiders 31