Chargers vs. Tennessee Titans: Who has the edge?
CHARGERS (7-6) vs. TITANS (7-6)
When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadium
TV/Radio: Ch. 2/98.7 FM; 105.5 FM/94.3 FM (Spanish)
Line: Chargers by 3
Notable injury designations: Chargers: CB Bryce Callahan (questionable, groin), S Derwin James Jr. (doubtful, quadriceps), DL Sebastian Joseph-Day (questionable, back/knee), RT Trey Pipkins III (questionable, knee). Titans: OLB Denico Autry (out, knee), CB Tre Avery (out, concussion), WR C.J. Board (out, rib), WR Treylon Burks (out, concussion), CB Kristian Fulton (out, groin), RB Dontrell Hilliard (out, neck), S Amani Hooker (out, knee).
What’s at stake: The Chargers have four games remaining, four games to determine the success or failure of their season. The Titans have lost three in a row, including last week to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chargers won their first game over a team with a winning record when they defeated the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. The Titans are the Chargers’ final opponent of the season with a winning record. They close the season with games against the Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1), the Rams (4-9) and the Denver Broncos (3-10).
Who’s better: The oddsmakers favor the Chargers despite their poor record against teams above .500, despite their injury-depleted offensive and defensive lines, and despite their difficulty stopping standout running backs. Tennessee’s Derrick Henry is second in the NFL behind the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs with 1,199 yards rushing. Jacobs leads the league with 1,402 yards, including 144 yards in the Raiders’ victory over the Chargers on Dec. 4 in Las Vegas. Henry averages 4.4 yards per attempt. The Chargers give up 5.4 yards per attempt, tied with the New York Giants for the league’s highest average. The Titans average only 18.5 points per game.
Matchup to watch: Henry vs. everybody. He had 121 yards rushing and 34 yards receiving in last Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars, his 17th career game with 150 yards or more from scrimmage. No one has had more in the league since 2011. The Chargers will be challenged to slow down the 6-foot-3, 247-pounder, something they’ve struggled to do against top running backs. The Chargers did limit the Dolphins to 92 yards rushing in last Sunday’s victory, but Miami doesn’t rely as heavily on the run as Tennessee. Joseph-Day could be back in the lineup after sitting out last week because of a knee injury.
Chargers win if: The Chargers have to be better against the run than they have been in their first 13 games of the season. It won’t be easy given Henry’s ability to run for big gains. In fact, it figures to be a tall order. Henry has been especially effective in road games this season, rushing for at least one touchdown in six of seven games away from Nashville. He also has gained 115 yards or more from scrimmage in five of his past six games on the road. Overall, he is third in the NFL with 1,519 yards from scrimmage. He has topped 1,500 yards from scrimmage in three consecutive games, tops among all active players.
Fantasy sleeper: Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer can’t exactly be called a sleeper, not after he filled in so capably while Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were sidelined by injuries, sometimes together and sometimes separately. Palmer is likely to remain a target for quarterback Justin Herbert even with Allen and Williams together again. Palmer has 50 yards receiving or more in four consecutive games.
Prediction: Herbert has passed for 300 yards or more in consecutive games and 21 games in his career. He needs 294 yards to reach 4,000 yards and become the first quarterback in league history to top the milestone in each of his first three seasons. The Titans don’t score many points, but they don’t give up many, either. The Chargers’ passing offensive presents Tennessee with a big challenge. Chargers 24, Titans 21.