CHARGERS (4-3) at BROWNS (2-6)
When: 10 a.m. Sunday
Where: Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland
TV/Radio: Ch.2/98.7 FM; 105.5 FM/94.3 FM (Spanish)
Line: Chargers by 1½
Notable injury designations
Chargers: OUT: CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring), WR Brendan Rice (shoulder). DOUBTFUL: TE Stone Smartt (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: OLB Joey Bosa (hip), WR DJ Chark (groin), LB Denzel Perryman (toe).
Browns: OUT: LB Jordan Hicks (elbow/triceps), LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (neck). QUESTIONABLE: LB Khaleke Hudson (ankle), CB Denzel Ward (concussion).
What’s at stake: The Chargers need to keep rolling after a dominating victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 8 if they are to emerge as bona fide playoff contenders. Defeating the Browns would help greatly in that regard. Losing to the Browns would send them back to the .500 mark and cast doubts about their postseason ambitions. Cleveland rallied for an impressive victory over coach John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens with Jameis Winston at quarterback. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said he spoke to his brother, but not about the game but about family matters. Or so he claimed.
Who’s better: The oddsmakers made the Chargers a slight favorite, but you have to wonder why it’s so slight. Maybe it’s due to Winston’s play in the Browns’ victory over the Ravens? Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert appears to have rounded into form after several weeks of limping around on a badly sprained right ankle. He was excellent in a victory over the Saints, when he threw two second-half touchdown passes, and during a last-second loss to the Arizona Cardinals, when he threw for a season-high 349 yards. The Chargers’ defense is giving up only 13 points per game, best in the NFL through eight weeks.
Matchup to watch: Chargers right tackle Joe Alt prepared for his rookie season by facing teammates Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, two veterans with multiple Pro Bowl selections on their resumes, during training camp. So, when he faced Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders in his NFL debut, it wasn’t as big of a deal as it might have been otherwise. Alt has more than held his own against Crosby and T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, he’ll face Myles Garrett of the Browns, who has four sacks this season.
Chargers win if: The Chargers must capitalize fully on their opportunities. Herbert talks endlessly about converting on third downs and scoring in the red zone. The Chargers do a fine job of moving the ball down the field, but their red-zone efficiency for touchdowns is a rather pedestrian 43.8%, 30th in the 32-team NFL, according to the website teamrankings.com.
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Fantasy sleeper: Herbert is heating up at the right time, with the Chargers entering the heart of their schedule. He’s also likely to have a healthier group of targets than in recent weeks with wide receivers Derius Davis (hamstring) and Quentin Johnston (ankle) and tight ends Will Dissly (shoulder) and Hayden Hurst (groin) practicing in full near the end of the week and cleared to play. Herbert formed a connection with Johnston early in the season and then with wide receiver Ladd McConkey after Johnston was sidelined. Herbert threw touchdown passes of 60 and 9 yards to McConkey during the Chargers’ victory over the Saints.
Prediction: This is as close to a make-or-break game as it gets in Week 9. If the Chargers win, they could legitimately claim playoff contender status. If the Browns win, they can say their season still has life. The Chargers lose, questions arise. If the Browns lose, their season is all but done. Chargers 24, Browns 21.