Omarion Hampton is BACK at Chargers Practice and Could Give Huge Boost Against the Raiders

Omarion Hampton is BACK at Chargers Practice and Could Give Huge Boost Against the Raiders

The Chargers got great news on Tuesday as the window to return for Omaron Hampton is officially open. But could he be back in time for this weekend’s game against the Raiders? You are Locked on Chargers, your daily podcast on the Los Angeles Chargers, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. What is up and welcome into the Lockdown Chargers podcast. I’m your host Daniel Wade, joined as always by my co-host David Drogmire and we’ve been covering the Chargers now for 10 seasons, but this is our eighth year as the host of the Lockdown Chargers podcast, bringing you your team every day as part of the number one sports podcast network. Thank you to all the everydayers out there for making us your first listen. To make sure you never miss the show, go subscribe or follow for free on the Lockdown Charges YouTube channel and listen wherever you get your podcast from. David, what do we got today? He’s back. That man that was featured on Angry Runs. Yeah, that guy. Omaron Hampton finally back on the football field. And not a moment too soon. Obviously, we got to talk about that. And we got to get into our keys for success on offense. Definitely got to get Justin Herbert back on track after one of his worst games of his NFL career. It’s very important to get him back in rhythm and get him back to feeling like the man that we all know that he is. And of course on defense, it’s all about putting Gino Smith on the grass repeatedly. He’s been sacked a bunch lately. The Chargers need to keep that trend going. And of course, we wrap this thing up with our bold and game predictions and a lot of Amaron Hampton predictions today. But today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. David, it is our Keys for Success show. Obviously a little bit different schedule this week with Thanksgiving and we’ll still have crossover Thursday tomorrow, but wanted to get our keys in before we got the news that Omaran Hampton is officially back at practice and the window for him to return from injured reserved has officially been open, meaning that the Chargers have to activate him within the next 21 days. Unfortunately, they have a game in, you know, 4 days. So that that is something we don’t know yet. And I think that is kind of what is still yet to be determined. We’ll see as the practice reports come out today and for the rest of the week, how much they’re putting him out there, how much they’re putting on his plate. But David, this is nothing short of great news and we haven’t had much of that on the injury front. This is a not just somebody returning, but a very impactful player that definitely changes the complexion of their offense. I think we were all anticipating it. I think we were all hoping that it was going to happen and it definitely did happen. Thankfully, the reports came out Omaran Hampton’s window was opened up and uh it’s fantastic news for the Chargers. You can’t look at it any other way. Omaran Hampton was really coming into his own, really finding his groove. He was really kind of establishing himself as one of the major catalysts of this Chargers offense. And with the state of the offensive line where it was to get some more balance back in this offense is going to do wonders for Justin Herbert and for the just overall success. Keeping them ahead of the sticks, keeping that those chains moving. Marian Hampton is that dude. He is that guy that can get extra yards when there isn’t much there. Dan, you talked about it. You know, his m forced missed tackles is some of the best in the league when you consider the amount of carries that he’s had. Can’t wait to see that back in the offense. That guy is a real differencemaker and yeah, there’s not a lot of those that are going to be coming back for the Chargers. Omaron Hampton certainly is one of them. Yeah, I think it’s just a time to be excited to get to see your first round pick again, man. You know, this is someone that you spent your most valuable draft ass asset on and like honestly was really starting to look like it was the a great pick right before he ended up getting hurt. And when you see someone go down like that and kind of a freak thing where he gets tripped by a commander player and then you don’t see him again for seven weeks like nobody could have expected that. It’s not what you want for your rookie season. Obviously I think the one kind of you know silver lining to that is it’s six games less hits that he’s had to take and especially for a rookie who’s coming from the college football ranks where you’re playing way less games. A lot of times you can run into that wall towards the end of the season. Now they’ll have to get his conditioning back. I do think though we could be seeing, you know, if he does play this weekend, uh, you know, them ramping him kind of back up, maybe not the full bellcow work and and Kamani Vidal has carved out his role rightfully so. But you think, David, that he’s going to play this weekend against the Raiders. I do. Yeah, I feel really confident about it. I just think the way that they they’ve gone about it just seems like this is the natural progression of getting him back on the field. Obviously, I’m no Nostradamus. I don’t know this for sure, but we know that at least, you know, a week or two ago, he was off working off to the side with trainers pretty regularly. Obviously, he’s been on IR, so they don’t really have to report his activity or how much he’s been on the field, but I just think, you know, based off of that and based off of just getting him the maximum amount of rest possible, uh, I feel really good that he’s going to be out there and that he’s going to be a part of the game plan. Although, I’m a big fan of easing him back in. And I think that’s one of my keys, just putting it out there, is let’s not put the whole world on his shoulders as he’s coming back. Make sure you get him in in the game plan. Get him uh some rhythm. I want to see him catch a few balls out of the back field. Get him a couple of easy completions. Um if he is on the field, uh definitely take care of him and make sure that he is 100% ready to go for this very important stretch run. Yeah. And it is a must-win game and like that is something that has to kind of play into the decision-m on whether he plays. Obviously, if he’s right, he’s got to be out there, you know, and the kind of usage could depend on how the game goes. Like if you’re up by double digits in the fourth quarter, you know, maybe it is Kamani Vidal time, right? No doubt. So there I think there is a fine line there. But I do think another, you know, thing for this game is the Raiders are only allowing 3.7 yards per carry this year, which seems, you know, pretty good. They’re ranked second in the NFL so far this year. And I think it’s a little bit fraudulent just because they’re ranked 23rd in success percentage as there far as their run defense goes. Yeah. 27th in rushing touchdowns allowed. But I do think this game mainly is a game for Justin Herbert to get back on track. Obviously coming off the lowest passing yards that he’s ever had in a game in his career and it was a combination of him not having the best game. Uh the line getting dominated and guys just not getting open. But I do think it’s up to Greg Roman to come up with a much better game plan than the one he did against Jacksonville where they were thoroughly thoroughly out schemed and dominated offensively. Plenty of weak spots to find in this defense, David. I mean, you’re talking about a defense 27th in sacks, 23rd in completion percentage, 22nd in passer rating allowed, 22nd in yards per attempt. Chargers need Justin Herbert getting back to looking like Justin Herbert. This is a great opportunity to do that. Yeah, 100%. No question about it. This is a get right game for your quarterback and I feel like he should feel really good about this matchup. I mean, outside of Max Crosby, they don’t have a lot of guys that can can really torment you getting after the passer, right? I mean, there’s just not not a lot to be scared about. Uh, so obviously, one of those keys is make sure you have extra protection on his side. Make sure you’re chipping. Make sure that you’re having an extra tight end on that side to just eliminate him from the game. Don’t let his presence be filled. Like that’s one of those guys, really the only guy on on that Raiders defense that you just have to circle and say this guy has to be removed from the defense. There’s just no way we can let this guy beat us. So you have to do everything that you can to allocate the resources that will make that happen. So that also the quick passing game. I want to see the Chargers throw a couple of those quick passes. Even if the pass rush isn’t going to be as dynamic, that’s something that works. I mean, get the ball in in the hands of Quinton Johnston. let him go do what he does best and be that yards after catch guy just to get the rhythm going and then yeah open things up. I definitely want to see Justin Herbert throw the football on this one. I want to see him get back on track. I want to see him get comfortable, but I want to see that get in rhythm first and then open up the shots a little bit later in the game. Yeah, I think that’s, you know, another thing Amarian Hampton can help with if he’s back, right? They feel it felt like although he had kind of his breakout rushing performance against the Giants, it did feel like we were starting to see him kind of scratch the surface of what he could do as a receiver. I think five catches and four straight uh before he got injured. So, I think that’ll be a big part of it. Going back to Max Crosby, I think the other thing is too is just like that is every team’s game plan, right? And the thing is it’s worked like if you’re able to kind of take Max Crosby out of it defensively, they don’t have a lot else that can make you pay for it. That’s why they have one of the best pass rushers in the league, but they ranked 27th in sacks so far this year. So, I think the other big part of this, too, is the Chargers really going away from giving their lineman extra protection in this last game and kind of inexcusably. Yeah. Makes no sense. No, it didn’t. They underestimated the Jaguars pass rush for sure, which is one of the things that scared me the most going into that game. You can’t do that again, right? Like, you have to help these guys out. And also good chance to kind of just bring up the fact that Jim Harbaugh did talk about the offensive line uh said they weren’t committing to making any changes in the starting lineup, but Daniel Popper did report that the first team offensive line in practice was Jamari Sawer at left tackle. Hallelujah. Zion Johnson at left guard, Bradley Boseman at center. So no Andre James uh you know usurping yet. Mai Beckton at right guard, Trey Pipkins at right tackle. So that it’s not super surprising. That’s what we kind of hope to see to a certain extent. um was wishing we’d see Bobby Hart back at right tackle, but at the same time, Pipkins has played well uh and he allowed zero pressures in the first game against the Las Vegas Raiders. It wasn’t we apologized to him and then he gave up nine the next week to Denver. But either way, had a good matchup this first, you know, time around with Max Crosby. He’s been playing at a really high level, at least as a pass protector. So, I don’t hate, you know, kind of riding the hot hand, especially make sure making sure that, you know, Bobby Hart is back to 100%. But we do have to get into the keys for success on the defense. And I think the Chargers defense needs to be dominant in this game. And it starts with battering Gino Smith just like everyone else does in keeping Ashton Genty down as well. We’re getting into all that and more in today’s Locked On Chargers podcast. Today’s show is brought to you by our friends over there at Pelaton. 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So, make sure you check it out and use it because it also helps you correct your form in real time and it maximizes your reps. It counts your reps so that you can do it smarter, safer, and more efficient. Let yourself run, lift, flex, push, and go. Explore the new Pelaton crossraining tread plus at onepeliton.com. David, it’s time to get into the defensive keys here. And I mean, if you watched the last game that the Raiders played against the Browns, I think you would know where we’re starting this one. And it was probably similar to the time it came the first time around, right? But it is all about getting to Gino Smith and, you know, keeping bad Gino Smith out there because that’s really what it’s been for the entirety of 2025. He leads the NFL in interceptions and a lot of that is because of the poor protection in front of him and and a very poorest offensive line that gave up 10 sacks in the last game. And I know that Miles Garrett got three of them, right? So like that’s, you know, it is what it is there. Uh but that also means seven guys that weren’t named Miles Garrett were taking Gino Smith down in that game or at least you seven other times non-Garrett division. So that is where this one starts. And I think also, David, it’s because the Chargers were on a hot streak. They had 12 sacks over the three-game winning streak they had leading up to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and then they sacked Trevor Lawrence zero times. If the Chargers can’t get pressure, if they can’t put themselves in position to go get pressure, things go really poorly for them. They have to be able to heat up Gino. And there is one guy in Khalil Mack that has a tendency to do that against his former team. Got hurt in the first matchup. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came back in this one with a vengeance either. Oh yeah, there’s no question about it. I mean, there’s just something about Khlo Mack playing against his former teams that he really gets up for it. And you know, especially after that performance was put on tape against the Jacksonville Jaguars, that that’s the type of dude that was really angry about that. And yeah, we may never hear him talk about how angry he was, but you better believe his teammates heard it. I mean, there is no question about it. He just seems like the guy that that would rip into people for sure for them not matching his level of play, which obviously this guy’s a first ballot hall of famer. As soon as he hangs it up, his he’s going to be, you know, cast in in iron. So, it’s just what it is. But there’s no excuse for him and the rest of the Chargers pass rush to not get back on track against this offensive line. Gino loves to hold on to the ball too long. He loves to. He He It’s just a bad tendency for him. And that’s a part of the reason why he gets sacked a lot. Another reason is both of his tackles have given up seven sacks a piece. Both of his tackles on the on the left and the right side. Also, the center has given up uh four sacks uh putting them at least according to PFF. They do not do half sacks. So, 20 sacks allowed in the last three games. Gino has been picking himself up off of the turf quite a lot. as you as Daniel said, 10 times against the Browns, four times against the Cowboys, and another six times against the Broncos, 20 sacks in the last three games. The Chargers need to continue that pursuit of dominance. Get in his face, harass him. He is going to make mistakes and he is going to hold on to the ball too long. Chargers got to punish him when he does. Absolutely. Raiders second in sacks allowed so far this year. I mean, it’s crazy. they had 21 and you know before the last three game stretch that they had allowed. Uh so it’s obviously gotten a lot worse pressure percentage 27th in the amount of pressure or the percentage of time they’re giving up pressure still somehow better than the Chargers. But easy to know what this Chargers pass rush unit who is all healthy should be able to do this week against a defense or an offensive line they have a big advantage over. But I do want to talk about Ashton Genty as well, just because it’s more about the Chargers than it is about Ashton Genty, who hasn’t really had a good season at all this year. And it’s obviously hard. I mean, I’m sure Raiders fans are really wondering if they have the guy that they wanted. At the same time, it’s like, how can we tell because the offensive line is blocking so poorly? But the Raiders have had less than 75 rushing yards in six straight games. The Chargers have given up 150 plus rushing yards on average in each of their four losses. so far this season. That is kind of, you know, the rock and the hard place where this game is where it’s like you have a really bad run defense and a really bad rushing attack going up against it. If you want I mean after that game they just had like it you have to think they’re going to come out here and just try to muscle the Raiders down with an extra week of rest an extra week to plan against this rushing attack. Oh yeah. Now, it is a new OC and I feel like whenever you get that, it’s like, hey, get back to the basics, you know, uh, pounding the rock, give Ashley Genty more carries because he’s obvious obviously been asking for it. At the same time though, it’s like, do you maybe want to save his usage for a season that’s not totally down the toilet as well, you know? So, it’ll be interesting to see what happens. But Chargers over 150 yards per game in losses allowing 88 rushing yards so far in wins. So, it’s keep Genty down, but I think this is much more about the Chargers figuring out their issues in their run defense more than it is about, you know, who is on the other side. Yeah. No matter who is going up against, they need to get that corrected. They have to and it has to show up in the physicality and violence in which they play. Like, that just has to be a staple. Every single time they step on the football field, you can see it and you can tell right away if they’re playing with that energy, if they’re playing with that violence, then they’re the best version of themselves. And I think with this, Ashen Gent’s only had one game where he’s rushed over 100 yards. Don’t let this be the second. Do not let this be the second. Also, pay attention to him as a pass catcher as well. He’s at least five catches in three of his last four games. They are definitely trying to utilize him in the passing game a lot more than he ever did in college. So, that’s something where Gino, when he doesn’t get sacked, he’s trying to get the ball off to Ashen Genty in space. Um, obviously the other big name in the passing game, the focal point of the passing game for the Raiders is and probably will be for a very long time, tight end Brock Bowers. So, Brock Bowers is the guy that you have to eliminate in the passing game. It’s very, very simple. He is the dude they are looking for. Nine or more targets in three of his last four games, including a 12 reception on 13 target, 127 yard, three touchdown performance uh along with that. So, this is a guy that has the capability to take over a game. Fortunately, the Chargers have a guy by the name of Derwin James Jr. and Deion Henley who are traditionally very good at eliminating tight ends. I think this is a game where maybe they put Derwin James on Brock Bowers a little bit more and not allow him to be that focal point to be that, you know, real catalyst of the Raiders offense because they’re going to be looking to use him as much as they possibly can. Yeah, of course they are. And I think that’s the kind of crazy thing is with how good Brock Bowers has been against every other team, he’s yet to eclipse 58 yards in three games against the Chargers. So, I don’t need you to change anything up that you’re doing there. What you But the plan has been has worked. Uh yeah, go ahead and you know, cuz it’s been the Jesse Mer defense every time he’s played the Chargers. So, keep whatever that plan is in place. you know that a new offensive coordinator is going to be trying to target their best player and especially with Jacobe Meyers out of it who has had some big games against the Chargers now he was traded away now it feels like it’s like okay it’s really really one guy uh but I do think you know just to go back to your point Ashton Genty uh maybe more effective in their in the receiving game than the rushing game so far this year for him so watch out for that my last key here expect the unexpected the Raiders did fire their offensive coordinator Chip Kelly after 11 games per Sports Illustrated. He was the highest paid coordinator in the league at $6 million per season. He got paid $545,000 per game this year to run what was tied for the NFL’s worst scoring offense. Nobody steals money like coaches who play for the Davis family. Yeah, I mean, hat tip to uh Chip Kelly out there. I guess Greg Olsen can’t be worse than that. So, I mean, that’s bad news, I guess, for the Chargers. But Greg Olsen has 14 years of experience as a coordinator under his belt, including this being his third stint as the Raiders offensive coordinator. 10 of those 14 years as an OC. They’ve been 20th and worse in points per game. Uh I fully expect multiple trick plays pulled in this game. Um yeah, never has been top 10 in rushing attempts. So I wouldn’t think they’re going to just turn into a 30 attempt kind of team. But, you know, this guy’s been waiting for this opportunity all year watching, you know, Chip Kelly uh fumble everything around. So, you know, he’s ready and trying to make a name for himself to, you know, be another team’s offensive coordinator again potentially. So, they’re going to pull out all the stops, I believe, in this game. The Chargers have to be ready and they’ve gotten tricked a couple times so far this year already. So, we do have more to get into, including our bold and our game predictions. A lot of predictions. How big of a game will Amaran Hampton have on his return? We’re getting into that and more in today’s Lockdown Chargers podcast. The NBA is back and there’s no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of a game or you want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at an even bigger payout that keeps every game exciting, especially when your team’s making that late push. The odds are sticking around. The same with the Chargers. They are still nine and a half point favorites against the Raiders. And if you stick around for the prediction, I guarantee you one of us will have the Chargers beating the Raiders by more than 9 and a half points when we get there. I can only speak for myself, but it can’t be understated how important this game is. This is a must-win game. FanDuel is telling you the Chargers are basically double- digit favorites in this one. There’s no excuse for the Chargers to lose this game. So, you can get that on FanDuel or first time touchdown score, anytime touchdown score, whatever you’re looking for. Right now, FanDuel is giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So, head to fanduel.com to play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. All right, David. Well, now it’s time to get into our bold and our game predictions. But thank you guys, everyone who chimed in on the special guest appearance by Chris Hayyrie yesterday. That was a fun show. Definitely can’t wait to have him on again. But thank you as always for making us your first listen. If you need a second listen, make sure to check out the guys at Locked on NFL with two shows a day. Tyler the Mad Man Roland in the morning and Tony Wiggins later on. Two guys we’ve had crossovers with so far this year on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast from. Let’s get into the bold predictions here, David. And shockingly, a lot of people are expecting Omaron Hampton to have a big game in this one. So, let’s start it here with Atheir who thinks Amarian Hampton is going 126 total yards in this game and three touchdowns. Honestly, not as crazy as I thought Aar would go for this one. Josie Alto Hampton makes a huge return with 115 yards and a touchdown. And the last one here from Ran Jiggity. Hampton outrushes Ashton Genty. David, is that the one you think could come to fruition in this game? That’s the one I like the most. Uh, I I think uh just because I’ve always liked Amarian Hampton better. I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to lie. I just love his running style. I love the fact that he’s just just a little bit more loose. I think he’s got a little bit more home run ability. Amaran Hampton’s that dude. And I feel like if he’s 100% ready to go, it’s going to be hard not to give him the ball just because of how successful he is and how like dangerous he really is with the ball in his hand. So, and I just feel like man, he just needs just a little bit of daylight. a little bit of daylight and he can hit it and go. So, that’s the one I like the most. I just feel like he’s a dynamic player and if he’s going to be on that field, they’re going to give him the ball. Well, and hopefully hopefully it comes to fruition because the Chargers just shutting the door on everything Raiders rushing attack related, right? Hopefully, we see those big improvements in the run defense that we’re hoping for coming out of the by-week. Though, we will need to get somebody to go check the tape and see if David was higher on Amari Hampton than Ashton Genty in the pre-draft process. But there’s no question about who has played better so far this year on a per game basis. Obviously, Genty has been available, right, which is something Omari on Hampton has spent, you know, over half his season now on injured reserve, but he’s coming back. My biggest thing here is just like I don’t know how many carries he’s going to get. Like it feels like he he might be on a pitch count in this game if he does play. We don’t I mean it might be a bold prediction to say he’s going to play with the kind of just the lack of knowledge that we have on the situation right now. Uh, but Ashton Genty averaging 55 rushing yards per game this season. Amaran could get that in 10 carries, right? Like, no doubt that’s doable. I mean, we saw him get that basically on one carry against the Giants. So, it’s doable. I just don’t know if he’s going to have the the at bats, right? I told you again, you know, Raiders giving up 3.7 yards per carry. It’s not the weakest run defense that they’re going to go up against, right? Much better opportunity for Justin Herbert, but still, yeah, he could break one and he could get that for sure. 100 plus yards. I don’t know if I see it in this first game back. Let’s get to this next one here. Flip over to the defensive side from Kuhani who says, “Defense plays lights out, six sacks, three interceptions. Ashton Genty held under 50 yards.” Yeah, that’s a guaranteed win right there. But I do kind of agree with the sentiment, David, which is like the Chargers should come out and absolutely dominate this game defensively. This is a bad offense they’re going up against. They have they should have a terrible taste in their mouth that’s been sitting with them for two weeks since the Jaguars game. Go out there and smother them. Give them no hope. Batter them. Yeah. Absolutely. Sell out to to stop the run and dare Gino Smith to beat one of the best pass defenses in the NFL. It ain’t happening. There’s absolutely no way. If the Raiders can’t get that running game going and and I fully expect the Chargers to do everything in their power to eliminate that. If they do that, then they’re they’re going to put Gino Smith in the third and seven, third and eight, third and nines where the Adafays and the Tuli’s and the Cleo Max are going to be going to hunt. And believe me, they’re going to catch their prey. Yeah. I mean, six sacks doesn’t feel, you know, impossible at all. I mean, three interceptions they already had against Gino already in one game. Really bad. Yeah. They they’ve done so well against immobile quarterbacks, right? It just feels like a really bad matchup for him. Who is going to be forcing those turnovers? That’s another question. Daniel David, what’s going on? It’s Frank Woodman giving you a call. Just wanted to wish you guys a happy Thanksgiving. My bold prediction of the week is Derwin James 66. Let’s go, Bolts. David, we’ve had this time this one a couple of times so far this year. Is this the week we see Derwin make the big play? I really hope so because like there there could be pick sixes from any other player and it wouldn’t mean the same thing as if Derwin James got the pick six. The captain of the defense, one of the voices of this team, one of the figureheads of this football team, a guy that you want at all of the big events. Derwin James is a complete like man mover and like people just are glued to his mag. He’s magnetic. He’s that type of guy. If he makes the play, I think it would galvanize the entire team and everybody would rally and feed off of that moment because of who Derwin James is. I couldn’t agree more with that. I I think that it’s also just kind of been a while since we’ve seen Derwin James make a big time play like that. Honestly, like the last kind of really Derwin James stamped play I can think about is probably against the Titans where he blew up that receiver trying to block him on the screen play, right? Yeah. We know he leads by what he says, right? Like he is a vocal leader, too. But I do think, yeah, it would mean something different if he’s leading with his actions and he’s the team kind of rallying the troops with his play by making a big play to give them that confidence that they’re one of the best defenses in the league. I think would be big, but maybe not my favorite player to get a pick in this game. This from Don to the T who says, “We get back on track, win 42 to6.” That part’s cool. This part’s cooler. Jamari Cwell, big man pick six. FTR BTFU. Who doesn’t love a big man touchdown? Who I mean, I would love more than anything, you know, for Jamari Calwell to bat a pass up to himself at the line of scrimmage and pick it off and then take it in for six. I mean, that would be truly truly awesome, especially because we’ve seen that happen to Justin Herbert so much this year. Uh, but such a strong start to his career and honestly like they could have they could do some of that playmaking on the interior. But a big man touchdown’s great. Your biggest man scoring the touchdown even better. The largest. I mean, Jabari Caldwell is a massive man and that was in the non-joal division. Yeah. I mean, Beckton’s pretty big, too. Defensively, he’s the biggest. Sure. Yeah. I mean, you know, Beckton’s 68, like 360, what whatever, right? We don’t even really know. I mean, Jabari Calwood just large, not heightwise, but widthwise. The guy is massive. I mean, he’s a guy that that just takes on double teams like no one’s business and doesn’t complain. He does all the dirty work. So for him to get a splash play to get an exciting play like that like th that’s almost the same thing as a kicker punt return touchdown when you get a big man INT for a return for a man that is such an amazing energy just filling play that your team would absolutely feed off of. And I think like maybe you know something I kind of just thought about too like the by-week is is beneficial for everyone. It’s probably way more beneficial to the rookies, man. Like cuz obviously like you’re playing a college schedule that like your season’s pretty much over when you’re this far into the season at the collegiate level. Now, you know, you’re just now hitting your by-week, but man, those guys could probably use it more. And the other part of it is is just to be able to reflect on potentially 11 games worth of NFL game tape for the first time and have an extra week to go kind of be critical of your game and and to get the kind of pointers from your coaches uh to make those improvements down the stretch. So, I think this bye-week huge for the rookies could see them kind of revamped and re-energized to go out there and make an impact. But one more bold prediction here. This is from Hayden John Young who says, “You know where I’m going with this. David doesn’t know about this one. David will indeed sample some mashed potatoes this Thanksgiving for the Bolt fam.” I mean, David, if the people are asking for it, I mean, that seems pretty bold. I mean, obviously traumatizing experience for you. Uh, is that a bold prediction that could come true this week? I am a people pleaser. Obviously, people know that, but heck no, that ain’t happening. Never. I’m not doing that. There’s no way. You’re going to have to pay me a substantial amount of money if that’s going to happen. Sorry, that will not be happening. That’s way too bold. Too far. I want to see it. You got the meta glasses, man. Let’s go. Let’s see. Let’s see some some Thanksgiving binds. You know, it’s going to be there, right? Gordon Ramsay isn’t going to be making it, so that’s not happening. That’s true. That’s true. But you did kind of like those ones if I remember correctly. Before you knew what it was, you know. So, never say never. But David, let’s get into our own predictions. Obviously went into a bunch of fan bold predictions, which we love doing. Let’s go straight to our game predictions for this one. David, who do you think’s going to win? Perfect opponent to come back off the by-week. Perfect opponent to come back off of the beating that they took to go dish out a beating of their own. Uh, go destroy one of your division opponents. It’s family, trust, and respect all day, every day. And it’s time to go bring belt to you know what, and beat the brakes off of the Raiders in this game. I’m going big. The Chargers need it and I think they’re going to do it. I’m going to go 38-7. Chargers dominate in their return from the buy. Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, obviously the last game that they lost before the Jacksonville game was against the Colts, and they came out and just absolutely pounded the Vikings, you know, and put up their season high in points in that game. So, it feels like a huge response game for Jim Harbaugh. We know there’s bad blood there with Pete Carol, too. You know, he loves kind of sticking it to him a little bit. Uh, but there’s a reason I wore Raiders colors onto the show today, and it’s not cuz I love the Raiders. No, I’m just kidding. I’m just an idiot. Uh, who has mostly dark and black and and and gray clothes. I thought it was the Raiders funeral. Yeah, that could be that. It could be that. I’m not picking against the Chargers in this one. Uh I have it Chargers 26, Raiders 13. I think you see a pretty dominant performance by the Chargers defense. You know, obviously the the Browns sacked Gino 10 times and they still ended up, you know, getting 10 points scored on them. That’s a really, really good defense. So, I think the defense has a great performance. I think the offense obviously coming off a buy potentially working some new lineups and might have to settle for a couple of field goals here and there, but I think still has a solid performance in this one. There is no excuse to lose this game. There’s none. There just isn’t. Like this would be a really demoralizing loss in the Jim Harbaugh era. And I feel like it would kind of bite into a lot of the good that’s been done if you can’t take care of this bad of a team in this big of a spot with so much riding on this game and your potential playoff life hanging in the balance here. So no excuse. Chargers, I don’t see a way they lose this game even against a division rival at home. I think they’re going to be charged up. And the energy has been one of those things where if we know they’re bringing the energy, we know they’re going to have a good good shot to win and have won most of those games where they’ve shown up for us. So, I have the Chargers winning in this one. David, this is going to be the last chance to talk to the Bull fan before Thanksgiving. And I know you are thankful for them. So, I’ll give you a chance here to let them know. There’s no way that Daniel or I could do this without your support. So, from the bottom of my heart, I am so thankful for each and every single one of you that have listened or watched any of our shows over the past 10 years covering this football team. Thank you so much. I want to say happy Thanksgiving to you and to all of your beautiful family members. Thank you so much for supporting the Locked On Chargers podcast. You don’t get nothing from me. You’re seeing me tomorrow on the crossover episode. Me and your boy Q going at it. I promise not to wear Raiders colors, but to make sure you don’t miss it, go subscribe or follow for free on the Lockdown Chargers YouTube channel and listen wherever you get your podcast from, as well as finding the show every day on all of our social media at Lockdown OAC on Twitter, Lockdown Chargers on Instagram, and our Lockdown Chargers Facebook page where you can hit us up for your bold predictions or buy yourselves. Or if you want to, you can also call into the voicemail line at 323-5247924. But make sure you guys are back here tomorrow for crossover Thursday. Locked on Chargers, locked on Raiders. Must win game for the Chargers. But until then, take it easy and go Bolts.

Chargers fans, get ready for a huge matchup! In this episode of Locked On Chargers, Daniel Wade and David Droegemeier react to the exciting news that Omarion Hampton has officially been designated to return, breaking down what his presence means for the offense heading into a must-win showdown against the Raiders.

The guys lay out their Keys to Success for both sides of the ball, including how Justin Herbert can bounce back after his toughest game yet, why the run game must be more balanced, and how the defense can keep the pressure on Geno Smith and limit the Raiders’ struggling run attack. They dig into Chargers injury updates, possible lineup changes, and what to watch for with the Raiders’ new offensive coordinator.

Plus, stick around for bold predictions, game picks, and plenty of listener shoutouts—including a hilarious Thanksgiving mashed potatoes bet! All that and more as the Chargers look to get back on track and keep their playoff hopes alive!

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