Chargers Insider Sees Echo of Last Week's Must-Win to This Week's Division Showdown

Are the Chargers playing playoff football in September?

Last week's thrilling victory over the Vikings was seen as a must-win to keep the Chargers' postseason hopes alive. 

Very few teams climb out of a 0-3 hole to make it to the playoffs, so the Chargers couldn't afford to fall to Minnesota.

And miraculously, they didn't, despite Brandon Staley's late-game play-calling mishaps. 

But going into this week against the Raiders, the Chargers face another daunting task. They need to start with a win against their own division.

And with this game being at home, they must prove to the loyal Chargers fans that this team is set up to win. 

The LA Times' Jeff Miller put it best.

Believe it, as much as the Chargers couldn’t afford to lose to the Vikings, they equally can’t afford to lose to the Raiders before a crowd that will be one in passion but split in allegiance.Even matched against a Las Vegas offense that has scored only five touchdowns to date, the Chargers can’t count on anything being easy, because nothing ever seems to be easy for this team.

via Jeff Miller /

LA Times

The Bolts go into this matchup with a lot of question marks.

Will Keenan Allen continue his hot start to the season? Will rookie first-rounder Quentin Johnston be able to fill in the shoes of Mike Williams? Will Brandon Staley coach a clean game? Among many others.

Those will all be answered; as we've seen, nothing is ever handed to this team. 

But let's look on the bright side. It seems like the Chargers' offense is there. And they haven't lost by more than three points. That's even more impressive when you look at their week one game against Miami, when they only lost by two points. 

That same team would go on to beat the Chargers' AFC West rival, Denver Broncos, by 50 two weeks later. 

If the Chargers can put it all together again like last week, a victory against Las Vegas would help their chances to get to the postseason.