Raiders vs Chargers: Projecting Stats for Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers

When the Raiders and Chargers meet in San Diego, CA. on Thursday evening, it's going to be a pretty interesting matchup between QBs Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers.

Palmer as we know, signed with Oakland a few weeks ago and although he struggled against the Denver Broncos at home, it was clear that he was much better prepared than against the Kansas City Chiefs prior.

Also, Palmer is a product of Raiders' head coach Hue Jackson, and Oakland also signed Carson's former teammate with the Cincinnati Bengals, WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. And despite RB Darren McFadden being out, RB Michael Bush has kept the Raiders ground game as a viable threat.

On the other side, San Diego still ranks No. 4 in passing offense in averaging almost 300 yards per game. The only problem however, is that Philip Rivers has thrown just 11 TDs to 14 INTs and also has fumbled five times.

So it's been an uncharacteristic season for Rivers however, much like the Raiders, San Diego is 4-4 and still in contention for the AFC West title. That being said, the play of each QB will be crucial as to who gets the advantage.

Therefore, here are stat projections for Palmer and Rivers in their Week 10 divisional matchup.

Carson Palmer

Unlike Rivers, Carson Palmer doesn't have the luxury of a solid receiving core. Sure, having Houshmandzadeh back out-wide is nice, but it's not going to guarantee immediate domination.

Also, the Bolts have the No. 4 ranked pass defense as opposed to just ranking No. 18 against the run. So, expect Oakland to pound the rock with RB Michael Bush early and often.

It will then set up the pass, but Coach Jackson must not jump the gun on continuously giving Palmer the green light. The San Diego pass defense may have gotten split by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, but Oakland is far from Green Bay's talent level.

That being said, Palmer's opportunities are limited due to solid ground game and controlling the game tempo to keep San Diego's potentially explosive offense off the field.

Projection: 14-of-24, 180 pass yards, no TDs, one INT

Philip Rivers

What's in favor of how uncharacteristic Rivers has played this season, is that he really has nowhere to go but up. So, since he's virtually played about as bad as he ever has in the pros, expect him to get back on track this week.

Now, his possessions will be limited as the Raiders will run the ball quite often however, Oakland's pass defense allows almost 250 yards per game and ranks No. 20.

In addition, the Raiders rank No. 29 in rush defense while allowing almost 140 yards on the ground per contest, so using the run to setup the play-action will be very effective. Even though San Diego hasn't been that consistent in rush offense, RBs Mike Tolbert and Ryan Matthews are a solid duo.

Both are decent for screens and check-downs, so don't be surprised if Rivers just dumps it off to bait the DBs for late in the game. All in all, Rivers has a decent performance.

Projection: 20-of-35, 255 pass yards, one TD, one INT

Be sure to check out John on Bleacher Report. 

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