Overview

• Jim Harbaugh praised Pete Carroll as "one of the best," while Carroll joked he has "no fond memories" of facing Harbaugh and quipped about receiving a birthday card, underscoring a respectful yet edgy history.
• Los Angeles opened with a 27-21 win over the Chiefs in São Paulo behind Justin Herbert’s 318 yards and three touchdowns, and Las Vegas beat New England 20-13 with Geno Smith throwing for 362 yards.
• Raiders tight end Brock Bowers injured his knee in Week 1 and is listed as questionable, with both sides preparing for the possibility he plays and a decision potentially coming near kickoff.
• Aggregated picks heavily lean toward Los Angeles, with The Sporting News tallying 30 experts picking the Chargers and two taking the Raiders, and CBS Sports simulations projecting a 24-20 Chargers win.
• CBS modeling shows a significant swing in AFC West and playoff odds tied to this result, and Harbaugh emphasized the divisional stakes by calling such matchups "really 2 1/2 games" when tiebreakers are considered.