Week 15 TNF Recap

Written by: William Petersen •

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After getting shut out by the Minnesota Vikings four days prior, the Las Vegas Raiders came into week 15 on Thursday Night Football and put up a massive 63 burger, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 63-21. Brandon Staley already has his bags packed and his house listed before this game based on the performance his squad has put up this season, but this is the icing on the cake to symbolize how far the Brandon Staley era has fallen. After blowing that massive lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wildcard round to now causing star quarterback Justin Herbert to regress rather than grow, Staley just proved to the Chargers organization and the rest of the league that he is not fit to be a head coach in the NFL. The Chargers lost this game due to poor execution on both sides of the ball, committing five turnovers and handing the Raiders 35 of their 63 points. The Raiders continue to show how much they support their interim head coach in Antonio Pierce after bouncing back from not scoring a single point against the Vikings and now being the first team to have eight different players score a touchdown, the first time since 1950. Rookie Aiden O’Connell had a career night going 20/34 for 248 yards, 4 touchdowns and a passer rating of 120.7.

The LA Chargers continue to be the laughing stock of the league after continuing to have Brandon Staley lead and run this football team. I thought Staley was going to be the next Kyle Shannahan or Sean McVay after his first three seasons in the league, but now it seems this man could not coach a high school football team. Backup quarterback Easton Stick tried his best as he led some scoring drives late in garbage time finishing, 23/32 for 257 yards, 3 TDs, and an interception. It is hard for a young and inexperienced player to succeed with little reps, but is nearly impossible if your team commits five turnovers. The only bright spot that I can find for the Chargers in this game is the individual performance from Joshua Palmer. Palmer ended the blowout loss with four receptions for 113 yards and a 79 yard touchdown catch that would finally get the Chargers on the board in the third quarter. I would be shocked to see that Brandon Staley is still the Chargers head coach come tomorrow morning but it does raise the question of if the Chargers want to hire from within or just wait until the off season to see what the coaching carousel looks like. I hope Justin Herbert can recover quickly and finally find a head coach and scheme that will help that natural talent flourish into a franchise quarterback. Herbert is too gifted with his arm strength and decisive decision making to be floundering on a team like the LA Chargers at the moment. The Chargers now move to 5-8 and host the Buffalo Bills who are fighting for their life, a game where Josh Allen should thrive and the Chargers will get blown out by at least two touchdowns.

Aiden O’Connell showed the league that he is capable of controlling the line of scrimmage after throwing for four touchdown passes in the first half and making the Chargers secondary look silly all night. The rookie quarterback did not look like a rookie even though the Chargers defense has been near the bottom of the league all season, and Jimmy Garrapolo should be shaking in his cleats if Aiden O’Connell can do even half of what he did tonight on a regular basis. Jakobi Meyers also got in on the touchdown passes as he went 2/2 and a touchdown pass to Davante Adams to cap off an impressive offensive showing from the Las Vegas ball club. Adams had a vintage night, hauling in 8 receptions for 101 yards and the touchdown, showing a surprising chemistry with O’Connell. The Raiders continue to play with a swagger that is proving to me that Antonio Pierce should be hired as their head coach next season. The players have bought in, even though they are not going to make the playoffs, and the Raiders continue to improve every week in the back half of this season as they now move to 6-8. They will have a much tougher test next week as they make their way to Arrowhead Stadium for a showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs who are desperately trying to hold on to their position at the top of the division. I think the Raiders will play the Chiefs tough, but the Chiefs defense should give Aiden O’Connell major problems and I do not think he can match Patrick Mahomes in offensive firepower.

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