NFL Week 15: 3 teams on upset alert this week

The Raiders could be on upset alert this Thursday

There is no team that has suffered a bigger fall from grace over the past few weeks than the Las Vegas Raiders. A tough performance against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs had some experts labeling the Raiders as a sleeper Super Bowl threat, but things have gone in the wrong direction since then.

Las Vegas has dropped two of its next three games, with the lone win coming on a miraculous Hail Mary toss against the winless Jets (aided by a dumb cover-zero blitz call by now-fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams). Defense has been an issue for the Raiders, who have surrendered 37.5 points per game over their past four games, leading to the firing of defensive coordinator Paul Guenther after Sunday’s 44-27 debacle against the Indianapolis Colts.

This week is a short one for the Raiders, who are favored by three points at home against the 4-9 Los Angeles Chargers. Anthony Lynn’s team won with a late comeback against the Falcons on Sunday but the big reason for concern for Las Vegas is the stellar play of Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert.

Los Angeles has plenty of weapons for Herbert to slice and dice a suspect Raiders’ defense with, making this game much trickier than it would appear at first glance. This is a must-win spot for Las Vegas but don’t be surprised if the Chargers play spoiler and deal the Raiders a devastating blow to their playoff chances.