Category: NFL

49ers Have Best Chance at Second Win; former Cal QB Goff gets the nod as starter for Rams

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USA Today photo: Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jerod Goff (16) gets the call as starter this Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers at Levis Stadium

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA–It seems like it’s been years since the 49ers beat the LA Rams on Monday Night Football to open the season, as they’ve strung off 13-straight losses. The Rams seek revenge on Christmas Eve with a new look on offense.

Most notably, Jerod Goff will be starting at quarterback on Saturday. The rookie quarterback was jolted against the Seattle Seahawks and sent him into the NFL’s concussion protocol, but the Bay Area native cleared earlier this week and will get the start.

The contest will be an intriguing one for those concerned about the 2017 NFL Draft, as two of the worst teams in the league are set to battle. San Francisco’s offense shines compared to LA’s, averaging 18.9 points per game compared to 14.1. But at the same time, the 49ers also surrender 31 points per game compared to the Rams with 23.4.

However, with those numbers, the 49ers defense shouldn’t get the finger pointed at them, as they are constantly on the field due to zero movement from the offense. Last week’s game in Atlanta was the perfect example of how the inept offense will lose football games. At the end of the first quarter, San Francisco was only able to muster up 12 yards, while Atlanta already had 11 first downs.

If San Francisco can get their offense going and keep it going for a full 60-minutes, they might be able to get their second win of the season. The second half will be important to keep an eye on, as it has been the downfall all season.

Raiders host Colts in home finale on Christmas Eve

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Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) in action during an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016 in San Diego. Oakland won 19-16. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — Now that the Raiders have locked up an AFC playoff spot, the Silver and Black will look to earn a first-round bye.

The visiting Indianapolis Colts are just looking to stay afloat this season.

Oakland (11-3) will host Indianapolis (7-7) on Christmas Eve in the Raiders’ final home game of the regular season.

Kickoff set for 1:05 p.m. PT.

This game will feature two of the best young quarterbacks in the league in third-year trigger-man Derek Carr for Oakland, and fifth-year starter Andrew Luck for Indianapolis.

Carr has been dealing with a fractured right pinkie ever since he sustained the injury at home on Nov. 27 against the Carolina Panthers. Since that injury, Carr and the Raiders are 3-1.

On the season, Carr has passed for 3,705 yards, 25 touchdowns to just six interceptions, but has only completed 36-of-71 passes for 330 yards over the past two games.

The player that most have picked to be this year’s league MVP helped Oakland clinch its first playoff berth since 2002 with a 19-16 victory over the Chargers down in San Diego last Sunday. Oakland has the second-best record in the AFC behind the New England Patriots (12-2) and are one-game ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs (10-4) for first place in the AFC with two games to go.

Carr was one of seven Raiders players, along with defensive Khalil Mack, wide receiver Amari Cooper, offensive lineman Keleche Osemele, Rodney Hudson, Donald Penn, and safety Reggie Nelson named to the AFC Pro Bowl team on Tuesday, the most players voted from one team.

Luck is having one of his better season, throwing for 3,631 yards, 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, but Indianapolis is on the verge of missing the playoffs for the second straight season.

Indianapolis carved up the Vikings, 34-6, in Minnesota in Week 15 behind Luck’s 21-of-28 passing for 250 yards and two touchdowns.

Running back Frank Gore carried the ball 26 times for 101 yards and moved ahead of Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett for 10th all-time for most career yards from scrimmage. Gore, who should wind up in Canton, is just 109 yards shy of recording his ninth 1,000-yard rushing season in 12 seasons and would become the first Colts running back since Joseph Addai (1,072 rushing yards in 2007) to record a 1,000-yard rushing season.

Oakland’s defense has started to really come on recently, and now have two players this season who have won defensive player of the week for his performance on Sunday.

Linebacker Bruce Irvin joined Mack when he won the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against San Diego.

Irvin sacked Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers twice, and forced a Kenneth Farrow fumble on a third down play that was recovered by linebacker Malcolm Smith. Irvin also recorded six tackles in a strong performance for Oakland.

Irvin now has seven sacks and five forced fumbles for this season and he along with Mack’s 11 sacks, can add to their total against an Indianapolis offensive line that has gotten Luck sacked 40 times this season, tied for third most with the Denver Broncos.

 

 

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders want to protect the franchise pinkie Carr everything to team going into stretch

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Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr celebrates after an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in San Diego. The Raiders won, 19-16. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Derek Carr what can you say he’s pretty much the weight of the franchise right now as the Oakland Raiders quarterback going into the last two games of the regular season as the Raiders prepare to host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum. They’ve taken him from under center to protect his pinkie finger and he’s been taking snaps from the shotgun or pistol formations. He goes under center the ball is going to forcibly hit that pinkie that’s going to cause further discomfort so the Raiders want to avoid that.

The offense has become a little bit more predictable but it’s definitely hard for the Raiders to have that good running attack that they’ve had and when Carr’s been there it’s been hard to run the ball in shotgun. Hopefully he gets fully healed and he can have a little bit of a diverse offense a little bit more reliability with the running game and it all starts with Derek Carr.

Joe Hawkes Beamon does the Raiders podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Rush is grabbed up from practice squad to Jaguars main roster; plus 49ers legal problems with Santa Clara

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AP photo: 49ers linebacker practice squad player Marcus Rush was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars this past week

Keep in mind players who are on the practice squad are not committed to the team and those who get signed to a contract from another team seeking interest are free to do so. Practice squad players do not have a contractual commitment with the parent club such as 49ers practice squad linebacker Marcus Rush who recently signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars had been on the practice squad all season. Rush or any other practice squad player could have been called up at anytime to the big squad.

The big squad is paying for the practice squad player to be there but the team doesn’t have exclusive rights to the players on the practice squad so if there are guys on practice squad who gets an offer from some other team to sign and be on their main roster than their free to go. The idea of the practice squad is to keep guys kind of ready. It’s not minor league but their there just in case they need to fill the void for a roster spot. Rush will fill a spot at linebacker for the Jags.

David Zizmor does the SF 49ers podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Carr, Cooper, and Mack among seven Raiders selected to Pro Bowl

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Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack, right, pressures San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — Quarterback Derek Carr, wide receiver Amari Cooper, and defensive end Khalil Mack headline seven Raiders (the most since 1991) selected to the AFC team for the 2017 Pro Bowl, the league announced Tuesday.

The 2017 Pro Bowl will be held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Sunday, Jan. 29. Oakland’s seven players selected were the most selected from one team, with the Atlanta Falcons second with six players selected to the NFC squad.

Oakland (11-3), who clinched their first trip to the playoffs since 2002 with a 19-16 win in San Diego Sunday, hope that none of their players play in the NFL’s All-Star Game as they could be preparing to play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LI on Sunday, Feb. 5 in Houston, Texas at NRG Stadium.

Carr is having  career-year and is one of the favorites for the NFL’s MVP Award, throwing for 3,705 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions. The third-year signal caller has a 95.2 passer rating while engineering the NFL’s third-ranked scoring offense at 26.9 points per game.

Cooper is just finding his way in the league in only his second season out of Alabama, surpassing the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the second straight season with 1,038 receiving yards this year. Cooper recorded 1,070 receiving yards in his rookie season last year.

Mack, who had his streak of consecutive games with at least one sack snapped at eight in San Diego, is tied for fourth in the league with 11 sacks. No matter what sports page or blog you read, or sports talk show you watch and listen to, Mack’s name is mentioned as a strong candidate to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Left tackle Donald Penn, left guard Kelechi Osemele, and center Rodney Hudson were selected from the AFC’s best offensive line that has only gotten Carr sacked a league-low 15 times this season. This is Penn’s second Pro Bowl nod, while this is the first selection for both Hudson and Osemele.

Safety Reggie Nelson  earned his second straight nod with his team-leading four interceptions.

The Raiders sent six players to last year’s game, with Mack, safety Charles Woodson, and fullback Marcel Reece being voted on the first ballot before Carr, Cooper, and running back Latavius Murray were selected as alternates.

The Silver and Black host the Indianapolis Colts (7-7) on Christmas Eve in Oakland’s final regular season home game.

 

Defenseless: 49ers scorched by Ryan, Freeman in 41-13 loss to the Falcons

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By Morris Phillips

With laser-eyed focus reminiscent of Joe Montana, and athletic superiority last seen in the being of Jerry Rice, the purposeful 49ers marched into the Georgia Dome on Sunday intent on slaying the NFC South-leading Falcons.  Armed with a bullet proof gameplan carved from the genius of Chip Kelly, and led by the fleet-footed Colin Kaepernick…

And thus begins the story pro football journalists assigned to cover the NFC West bottom-dwellers have been yearning to write for more than three months.    But the occasion of such poetic license has yet to come to pass for those chronicling the exploits of the San Francisco 49ers.

So instead–and for a franchise-record 13th consecutive week–the San Francisco game recap strikes a far different tone, beginning with a desultory, first quarter in which the 49ers spotted the Falcons a three-touchdown lead prefacing their 41-13 loss.

The Falcons moved a game ahead of the Buccaneers in the NFC South with the win, and control their playoff destiny.  Meanwhile,  the 49ers moved two weeks closer to a date with Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer and others in the small circle of top-tier NFL draft prospects.

Atlanta scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions, and only a Devonta Freeman fumble at the 49ers 1-yard line in the second quarter prevented the Falcons from scoring five consecutive times.  Still, the Falcons led 21-0 after one quarter, and 28-13 at the half.

Matt Ryan threw a pair of touchdowns, and Freeman rushed for three more as the NFL’s highest scoring team cruised without top receiver, Julio Jones.  Along with the win, the Falcons established a new, single-season, scoring record with 469 points, surpassing the 448 scored in their 1998 Super Bowl season.  Against the 49ers, the Falcons scored over 40 points in a game for the fifth time this season.

That’s a really good offensive football team,” said Kelly, who saw his 49ers surrender 40 points in a game for the sixth time this season. “It’s a team that could make some hay in the playoffs.”

The 49ers’ ability to field a competitive lineup to counteract Ryan, Freeman and the Falcons’ offense was compromised when inside linebacker Gerald Hodges Jr.  was suspended prior to the game for a breach of team rules, with no other disclosure by the team regarding the nature of the offense.  Then with Nick Bellore set to start inside opposite Michael Wilhoite, Bellore was felled by an elbow injury three plays into the game.

That set in motion a revolving door at Bellore’s spot that included linebacker Ahmad Brooks, safety Antoine Bethea and backup safety Vinny Sunseri.  The lack of bodies at the inside linebacker’s spots put the team’s historically porous run defense at even greater risk, and the Falcons pounced.

Freeman rushed for 139 yards along with his three scores, and became the 11th back to surpass 100 yards against the 49ers this season.  The Falcons, fresh off their 42-14 thrashing of the Rams, totaled 550 yards of offense, including 248 on the ground.  Along the way, the team’s worst showing in a season in terms of rushing yards allowed zoomed past the record of 2,363 yards with two games yet to play.

Offensively, the 49ers weren’t good enough early to counteract the attrition on defense.  Kaepernick connected with Blake Bell in the second quarter to narrow the Falcons’ lead to 21-7.  Later in the quarter, Kaepernick connected with Rod Streater for a 5-yard touchdown pass, but the extra point was missed, and the 49ers would get no closer.

Kaepernick finished 20 for 33 passing for 183 yards, and he was sacked three times.  The 49ers’ offensive woes after halftime continued.  They managed just 85 yards total offense after halftime, with only four first downs.

The 49ers travel to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve, with the mandate to beat the similarly-challenged Rams, the only team they’ve beaten in 2016.  Gametime on Saturday is 1:25pm.

Sunday Final: Raiders clinch playoff berth; Extra Points from Week 15

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AP photo: Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr addresses the media following the Raiders-San Diego Chargers game last Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

SAN DIEGO, Calif — For the first time since 2002, the Oakland Raiders have clinched a playoff spot after holding off the Chargers 19-16 on the road Sunday.

Even though the game was played at Qualcomm Stadium, it looked and sounded like the Black Hole of the Oakland Coliseum with the huge contingent of Raider Nation making the trip to SoCal.

Oakland took advantage of an injury-riddled Chargers team that played without star running back Melvin Gordon, who missed the game due to a hip injury.

Derek Carr, who played primarily out of the shotgun while dealing with a dislocated pinky on his throwing hand, completed just 19-of-30 passes for 213 yards and a 13-yard touchdown shortly before halftime that tied the game at 10-10.

Carr and the Raiders offense looked rather mortal against a stingy Chargers defense that forced two red zone turnovers in the first half, snapping a string of 62 straight trips into the red zone without committing a turnover. Oakland was just 1-for-7 in the red zone and had to rely on four field goals from veteran kicker Sebastian Janikowski to provide most of the scoring for the Silver and Black.

Michael Crabtree led Oakland with six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown. It was the second straight game that Oakland’s receiver didn’t record more than 60 yards.

But the story for the Raiders was the defense’s play in the fourth quarter where Oakland forced two Chargers’ turnovers, including the playoff-clinching interception by safety Reggie Nelson on 4th and 15 on San Diego’s final possession thrown by Philip Rivers.

Linebacker Bruce Irvin registered two of Oakland’s three sacks, and forced one of two fumbles for the Silver Black. Fellow linebacker Khalil Mack saw his consecutive games with a sack snapped at eight games.

Outside of Rivers’ late turnover, the 13-year veteran quarterback from North Carolina State was having a strong day throwing the ball — completing 17-of-30 for 206 yards and two touchdowns.

Rivers got San Diego (5-9) on the board on their first possession of the game when he found wide receiver Travis Benjamin wide open down the field for a 47-yard touchdown, and a 7-yard strike to rookie tight end Hunter Henry in the third quarter that saw San Diego take a 16-13 lead (San Diego missed the extra point.)

For Oakland (11-3), the win is huge as they took sole possession of first place over Kansas City (10-4) in the AFC West with two games to go. The Chiefs were stunned at home 19-17 by the Tennessee Titans (8-6).

Oakland must finish ahead of Kansas City if they want to win the division since the Chiefs swept the season series between the two teams.

The Raiders host Indianapolis Saturday in the team’s final home game of the season Christmas Eve, while Kansas City host the reeling Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos (8-6) on Christmas night.

Denver fell to the AFC’s top team, the New England Patriots, 16-3 at home Sunday.

Extra Points from Week 15

  1. Colts running back Frank Gore passed Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett for 10th place on the NFL’s all-time list for most career yards from scrimmage (16,332) in Indianapolis’ hammering of the Vikings 34-6 in Minnesota. Gore, who also passed Dorsett to move into eighth place on the all-time rushing yards list in Week 13 against the New York Jets (12,789), added 101 yards to that total and is just 109 rushing yards away from his ninth 1,000-yard season in 12 seasons.
  2. Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. (14,618) moved into seventh place on the NFL’s all-time receiving list in Baltimore’s 27-26 home win against the Philadelphia Eagles. The 37-year-old Smith Sr. moved ahead of Hall of Famer and former Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison (14,580) on a 34-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
  3. New England (12-2) secured their eighth AFC East division title, and their seventh straight first round bye in the AFC playoffs Sunday and are currently the No. 1 seed.
  4. Jacksonville fired head coach Gus Bradley after the Jaguars dropped to 2-12 on the season. Bradley, who was 14-48 in this three-plus seasons in Northeast Florida, has a .226 winning percentage which ranks as the worst for any coach in the Super Bowl era among coaches with a minimum of 50 games. The Jaguars blew a 20-8 lead Sunday against their division rival Houston Texans and lost 21-20 for their 10th straight win in the AFC South.
  5. Speaking of Houston, the Texans have a quarterback controversy if they want to admit it or not. Incumbent starter Brock Osweiler, who signed a four-year $72 million contract ($37 million guaranteed) in the offseason, was benched after he started the game 6-of-11 for 48 yards with two interceptions, in favor of backup Tom Savage. The third-year pro from Pittsburgh went 23-of-36 passing for 260 yards, with no touchdowns and interceptions fueling Houston’s comeback.
  6. Dallas’ rookie duo of quarterback Dak Prescott (32-of-36 passing for 279 yards) and running back Ezekiel Elliott (23 carries, 159 yards, and 1 TD) helped the Cowboys (12-2) snap Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers’ five-game winning streak. The dangerous combo has the Cowboys closing in on the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and having the road to the Super Bowl going through Dallas. The loss hurts Tampa Bay (8-6), who trail the Atlanta Falcons (9-5) by one game in the NFC South with two games to go.

 

 

 

Oakland Raiders-San Diego Chargers post game wrap: Silver and Black going to the playoffs

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Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) is held out of the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

By Jeremy Kahn

Well, the 14-year wait for the Oakland Raiders to return to the playoffs is finally over, and the lone player left from that era scored the game-winning points.

Sebastian Janikowski, who was drafted with the 17th pick in the 2000 draft and is the last player left from the team that lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII kicked a 44-yard field goal with 2:40 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Raiders defeated the San Diego Chargers 19-16 at Qualcomm Stadium.

In what was a road game looked like the Oakland Coliseum, as the Raider Nation made the trek down to San Diego for what could be the last Raiders game in San Diego, as the Chargers may move to Los Angeles next season.

The eventual game-winning drive started on their own 34-yard line, and were helped out by two big plays.

Latavius Murray ran thru a big hole and gained 27 yards for a huge first down. Then Derek Carr threw a 22-yard pass that setup Janikowski’s game-winning field goal.

Just prior to the Janikowski field goal, Carr helped out his own cause, as he was able to pickup a key first down at the Chargers 21-yard line.

Carr was originally ruled out at the 22-yard line, a yard short of the first down line marker; however Jack Del Rio challenged the spot and the call was reserved.

Carr then threw an incompletion, and he was then sacked to setup Janikowski for the game-winning field goal.

Reggie Nelson clinched the victory, as he intercepted a Philip Rivers pass with 1:37 remaining to clinch the victory.

Janikowski made four field goals overall, as he also hit 21, 45 and 33 yards.

Rivers gave the Chargers a 16-13 lead, as he found tight end Hunter Henry from seven yards out, but Josh Lambo missed the extra point.

Janikowski tied up the game with 8:38 remaining, as he kicked 21-yard field goal.

Carr ended up going 19-for-30 for 213 yards with a touchdown and a interception, and added five carries for five yards.

Michael Crabtree scored the only Raiders touchdown, as he was on the receiving end of a 19-yard touchdown pass from Carr.

Crabtree was originally out of bounds, but after a review, the call was reversed, as he got both feet in.

Falcons Will Have No Problem With 49ers

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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) sets up to pass during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on December 11, 2016. The Falcons defeated the Rams 42-14. (Kevin Terrell via AP)

By: Joe Lami

Every week, the San Francisco 49ers seem to find another way to hit what we think is rock-bottom. Last week better have been it for the Niners, after an embarrassing overtime loss to the New York Jets, in which they lead by 14 at the half and by 11 going into the fourth quarter. But 47 total net yards in the second half will cause that embarrassment, even if you’re playing the Jets.

This week, they travel back east for a surprisingly start against the (8-5) Atlanta Falcons. Led by Matt Ryan, who bounced back with an outstanding season that has him already surpassed 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, the Falcons are trying to stay atop the NFC South standings.

They will be without Julio Jones for the second straight week, but it won’t matter against the second worst team in the NFL. Expect Ryan to throw the ball early, and when the 49ers can finally stop the pass, running back, Devonte Freeman will pick up the ground game to get the passing game back. It’s been a formula that has worked all season against the 49ers, and it should work again for Atlanta.

Expect it to be close in the first half, as the 49ers are surprisingly not terrible in the opening 30-minutes, but are by far the worst team down the stretch of the game. When Chip Kelly was asked about this phenomenon, he said he looked at it on a game by game basis, which means that nothing will change if he doesn’t see the pattern that has occurred over the longest losing streak in franchise history.

With only three games left in the season, the 49ers might start looking towards Christmas Eve to see if they get a present wrapped as a win against the Rams.

Oakland heads to San Diego with playoff berth on the line

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AP file photo – In a Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016 file photo, Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo. It could be a remarkable scene Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016 when the Oakland Raiders, closing in on their first playoff berth since their Super Bowl season of 2002, face a fading Chargers franchise that could be in the death throes of its 56-season run in San Diego. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — One more step, and the Oakland Raiders can end 14 years of misery and disappointment.

With a win over the Chargers in San Diego, Oakland can punch their ticket to the playoffs since the team’s last playoff appearance in 2002. That season ended with a trip to Super Bowl XXXVII where they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in San Diego.

Oakland (10-3) is tied for first place in the AFC West and has a two-game lead in the wild-card race with three games to go.

Can you believe it? It was just two years ago that the Silver and Black were just an abysmal mess, sitting at 0-10.

The Raiders saw their six-game winning streak snap by the Chiefs 21-13 in Kansas City last Thursday night.

Quarterback Derek Carr continues to have his issues with Kansas City, but the loss wasn’t entirely on his shoulders.

Carr completed just 17-of-41 passes for 117 yards, but the third-year signal caller was victimized by drops from wide receiver Seth Roberts and a missing on a potential game-tying touchdown deep down the middle to Amari Cooper in the third quarter.

Cooper’s led all Oakland wide receivers with five catches for 29 yards. Cooper, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season, enters Sunday’s matchup with 1,010 receiving yards and ranks sixth in the league with 73 catches.

With San Diego decimated by injuries (the Chargers have 18 players on injured reserve), this is a game where Carr, Cooper, and fellow wide receiver Michael Crabtree (71 catches, 806 receiving yards, and 7 TDs) can do some damage and get Oakland’s offensive fluidity back on track.

Khalil Mack is the center of the universe in Oakland’s 30th ranked defense, and is no doubt the leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

Mack is tied for third with Washington defensive end Ryan Kerrigan with 11 sacks and has recorded one sack in eight consecutive games. Mack also has 61 tackles, five forced fumbles, and one interception (a pick-6) on the season.

San Diego (5-8) is mercifully looking for the season to end and maybe playing Oakland for the last time at Qualcomm Stadium.

After San Diego voters shot down a stadium proposal last month, the Chargers inch closer to moving to Los Angeles when the NFL owners unanimously approved a tenant-lease contract between the Chargers and Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday.

The Chargers have until Jan. 15 to exercise an option to relocate to Los Angeles.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is on pace for his eighth 4,000-yard passing season with 3,589 yards and fifth 30-touchdown passing season with 27 touchdowns, but Rivers has been a turnover machine with a league-high 17 interceptions.

Rivers was solely responsible for five turnovers — three interceptions and two strip-sack fumbles in San Diego’s 28-16 loss at Carolina in Week 14.

As a team, San Diego has a league-worse 30 turnovers this season.

Running back Melvin Gordon, who is on the brink of his first 1,000-yard rushing season with 997 yards on the ground, is out for Sunday’s game with a hip injury. Gordon was carted off the field against Carolina.

With top wide receiver Keenan Allen lost for the season in Week 1 with a torn ACL, Tyrell Williams has become Rivers’ favorite deep-threat.

The second-year undrafted wide receiver from Western Oregon has been one of the brighter spots for San Diego this season, leading the team in catches (55), receiving yards 905, and tied for touchdowns (6).

Williams has three 100-yard receiving games this season, one of them was a five-catch, 117 yards and a touchdown against Oakland in Week 5.

Wide receiver Travis Benjamin, who signed with San Diego in the offseason, also recorded 117 receiving yards on seven catches in Oakland.

The Raiders, who have had trouble this season covering the tight end, must account for future Hall of Famer in Antonio Gates and rookie Hunter Henry who both scored against the Raiders.

Oakland has won the last three meetings against San Diego, most recently a 34-31 affair at the Oakland Coliseum on Oct. 9. Carr threw for 317 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while Rivers passed for 359 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.