The offenses:
Quarterback: Advantage, LA Chargers
I personally think Derek Carr is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in all of the NFL. However, Justin Herbert is doing things that not every quarterback can do and it is not a stretch in the slightest to give him the nod over Carr.
However, the gap between Carr and Herbert is a lot smaller than most Charger fans think it is.
Running backs: Advantage, Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Jacobs is not having a great season for the Las Vegas Raiders this year but he is still better than the tandem of Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley. Troymaine Pope may not play in this game as he is in concussion protocol and Kelley has been extremely underwhelming this season.
Wide receivers: Advantage, LA Chargers
The Las Vegas Raiders have more weapons on paper than the LA Chargers but there are two reasons why the receivers swing in the Bolts’ favor. First is that they have the best, and arguably the second-best, receiver in this game in Keenan Allen (and Mike Williams).
Second, the Chargers are getting production out of those WR3/4 players that we were not very high on, such as Jalen Guyton.
Tight ends: Advantage, Las Vegas Raiders
Darren Waller is better than Hunter Henry and the Chargers are dealing with a big tight end injury in Virgil Green. Green is the team’s best blocking tight end and while Donald Parham has become a bit of a sneaky fan-favorite, the advantage absolutely still goes to Vegas.
Offensive line: Advantage, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive line is on the correct side of league average and probably falls in the 12-15 range in terms of its standing compared to the rest of the teams in the league.
You could make the case that if Bryan Bulaga and Trai Turner play, and the rest of the standouts continue to play better than expected, that it becomes a toss-up. However, because we have not yet seen it really put together like that, I have to give the advantage to Vegas.